By Ryan Clark, The Hockey News intern
With the end of the NHL regular season within sight, two things are on people’s minds: who will make the playoffs, and who will take the season’s coveted awards?
The Selke Trophy is a bit of an odd award, as the criteria aren’t as defined as other awards. The other skater awards usually come down to a combination of points, goals and team records, while goalie awards often hinge on wins, save percentage and a few of the publicly available advanced stats.
The Selke Trophy, on the other hand, is a bit of an outlier, as we have seen offensive superstars get votes as well as gritty fourth-liners. There are lots of players who are in the running for the Selke, and with defense being difficult to quantify sometimes, it’s hard to keep up. Here are the main contenders for the award, ranked in tiers.
Tier 1: The New Bergeron?
Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panthers
It’s not a question of whether the Panthers captain will win another Selke, it’s how many more he’ll win. Even with a couple of weeks of missed time, Barkov is the front-runner for this award.
Tier 2: The Probable Top Five
Sam Reinhart, C, Florida Panthers
We’ll let you in on a little secret: Reinhart has been the NHL’s best defensive forward this year. He’s been even better than Barkov at suppressing quality chances and is also second in the league in shorthanded goals.
Nico Hischier, C, New Jersey Devils
The Devils are beat down and limping into the playoffs, with injuries everywhere on the roster. It’s a good thing Hischier has been as good as he has, keeping the team afloat with his excellent two-way play.
Anthony Cirelli, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
Cirelli has finished in the top five in Selke voting in the past, but his lack of offensive production led to him being glossed over in the race. Now that he’s put up career highs, could he earn a nomination?
Mitch Marner, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Let’s talk about steals. Marner sits fourth in the league in takeaways, an impressive feat. Even more impressive is the fact that the rest of the top 10 in the stat is made up of defensemen.
Tier 3: You Might be Familiar With Their Other Work
Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
He hasn’t been quite as solid in his own end this season as some others on this list, but he’s still really tough to play against.
Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Florida Panthers
He has the second-best Corsi and Fenwick percentages of any forward with 500 minutes played, per moneypuck.com. In other words, the Panthers almost always have possession when he’s on the ice.
Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
It’s impressive to see how far Draisaitl has come in his own end. From being a perceived liability to now showing up on a list of Selke contenders. And his coach, Kris Knoblauch, seems to agree.
Tier 4: Fun Long-Shot Candidates
Brandon Hagel, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
He’s been one half of one of the league’s deadliest penalty-killing duos (with Cirelli) and has been a 5-on-5 fiend. If he were a center, perhaps he’d be viewed as a top contender.
Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Minnesota Wild
He’s finished in the top 10 in Selke voting in each of the past three seasons, and with how he’s played this year for a contending Wild team that’s been plagued by injuries, he deserves to keep the streak alive.
Seth Jarvis, C, Carolina Hurricanes
He’s seemingly become everyone’s new favorite player, and for good reason. Despite his smaller size, Jarvis’ motor and hockey IQ make him one of the more underrated players in the defensive zone. He’ll get his Selke recognition one day.
Tier 5: Legendary Long Shots
Jordan Staal, C, Carolina Hurricanes
He’s earned many Selke votes throughout his career, finally getting the nomination last year. While he took a step back this season, he’ll likely still find himself on a few ballots.
Anze Kopitar, C, Los Angeles Kings
You can’t have a Selke story without talking about Kopitar. If it wasn’t for playing at the same time as Pavel Datsyuk and Patrice Bergeron, perhaps he’d be viewed as the best defensive forward of the modern era. Kopitar probably won’t get much attention for the award this year, but his legacy, combined with the Kings’ success, could earn him a few votes.
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