Aaron Ekblad deserves the Calder

[Siludin]

How many 70+ point first year wingers do you see?

Very few but I recall Malkin and Stastny each putting up more than 70 in a year that included Kopitar and Jordan Staal having very impressive showings.

Tyler Myers was the last rookie to win the Calder in a year that included Duchene and Tavares each finishing with around 55 points.

 

[jdatb]

Absolutely it is. If you're over 25, you don't qualify for it.

Lol very nice.

 

[Fighter]

I tend to agree, I've been VERY impressed from Ekblad so far and D is the toughest position to play for a rookie.

It's a race between him and Forsberg and if the latter cool down a bit, I can see him winning the Calder.

 

[babylonzoo]

Absolutely it is. If you're over 25, you don't qualify for it.

didn't sergei makarov win the calder at 40 back in 91?

 

[Byrddog]

Actually Sergei Markrov won it in 90 at the age of 41. Since Ray Borque won the Calder in 80 there have been 6 other defensemen to win it. 3 of which were under 20 years old, Tyler Meyers, Bryan Berard, Ray Borque. For sure Ekblad is better than Berard and Meyers but he will haveto do a lot to surpass Borque.

At this point it is Forsbergs to lose and if he falters in the second half Ekblad is a good bet.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Because that's how the trophy is awarded.

I think age is taken into account. All of the trophies have certain 'unwritten' rules or at least considerations that are not strictly in the criteria for the award.
For the Selke you need to be a high point getter, the Hart usually doesn't go to a defenceman or goalie as they have their own awards.
You can say that age is not a factor but the people who vote on the award may be more likely to vote for an 18 year old over a rookie in his twenties. It doesn't matter what the criteria actually say.

 

[Morry83]

Not to take away from Ekblad, as he's been incredible this year, but John Klingberg has 6 goals, 12 assists, for 18 points in 12 less games. He absolutely should be a candidate for the Calder.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

didn't sergei makarov win the calder at 40 back in 91?

Which is why the rule was put in place

 

[OilersFanatics505]

Not to take away from Ekblad, as he's been incredible this year, but John Klingberg has 6 goals, 12 assists, for 18 points in 12 less games. He absolutely should be a candidate for the Calder.

Not sure if you are serious?

I read this in Kanye's voice and not sure if I should have or not.

 

[FlaPanthers11]

Not to take away from Ekblad, as he's been incredible this year, but John Klingberg has 6 goals, 12 assists, for 18 points in 12 less games. He absolutely should be a candidate for the Calder.

A few reasons why he shouldn't (and has no chance to):

1) He won't have the point totals.

2) Smaller sample size.

3) He scores at a lower pace than Ekblad.

4) His defensive game isn't on par with Ekblad's.

5) He is 10th on his team in scoring. For comparison, Ekblad is 2nd on his team, Forsberg 1st, Gaudreau 3rd.

He won't finish ahead of Ekblad barring a miracle or an injury and he doesn't exactly have a chance to catch the top forwards even in the remote possibility that he does finish ahead of Ekblad. Great rookie season but not Calder great.

 

[Mass]

didn't sergei makarov win the calder at 40 back in 91?

Just for the record he was 31.

 

[CatscratchFever]

Like a previous Panther fan stated, Ekblad was showing some fatigue before the break. That, along with opponents keying on him specifically, it's tough to see him continue at this rate. It's Forsbergs to lose, IMO. That being said, it feels great to finally have a *true* blue-chip player to watch find his way in the NHL. Damn good.

 

[triggrman]

Like a previous Panther fan stated, Ekblad was showing some fatigue before the break. That, along with opponents keying on him specifically, it's tough to see him continue at this rate. It's Forsbergs to lose, IMO. That being said, it feels great to finally have a *true* blue-chip player to watch find his way in the NHL. Damn good.

So your last Calder winner was a lie?

 

[CatscratchFever]

So your last Calder winner was a lie?

I would put Ekblads career trajectory much, much higher than that of Huberdeau.

 

[Church of Toews*]

the Hart usually doesn't go to a defenceman or goalie as they have their own awards.

Breaking News there are no awards for forwards in the NHL

 

[Era of Sanity]

It's still a tight race, too early to hand the Calder to anyone. Ekblad and Forsberg have seperated themselves, Gaudreau is a darkhorse. Atleast 1 is likley to hit a wall in the second half, I'd put my money on Forsberg to win it by the end of the year.

 

[Morry83]

A few reasons why he shouldn't (and has no chance to):

1) He won't have the point totals.

2) Smaller sample size.

3) He scores at a lower pace than Ekblad.

4) His defensive game isn't on par with Ekblad's.

5) He is 10th on his team in scoring. For comparison, Ekblad is 2nd on his team, Forsberg 1st, Gaudreau 3rd.

He won't finish ahead of Ekblad barring a miracle or an injury and he doesn't exactly have a chance to catch the top forwards even in the remote possibility that he does finish ahead of Ekblad. Great rookie season but not Calder great.

1. You know this, how?

2. By 12 games.

3. Really?

Ekblad - .5681 PPG
Klingberg - .5625 PPG

Virtually the same.

4. Klingberg is actually quite good defensively. He is very positionally sound. Always makes smart plays with the puck. I hate the stat, but he's currently a team leading +8. Ekblad is a +7.

Advanced stats show they aren't too far apart.

While Ekblad's Corsi Relative is 8.7 he faces much weaker QoC (-3.015). Klingberg Corsi Relative is 7.9 but he faces a QoC of 1.219. Ekblad has a PDO of 997, while Klingberg's is 1020. It's also interesting to note that Ekblad has a 58.9 Offensive Zone Start % and a 52.2 Offensive Zone Finish %. Klingberg has a 49.0 Off Zone Start % and a 51.9 Off Zone Finish %.

5. I fail to see how this matters. I don't even know why you'd use that as an argument against him. As far as defensemen go, he's 3 points behind Daley (who gets prime PP time and averages over 2 minutes per game more ice time than Klingberg) in 11 less games, and 5 points behind Goligoski (who, again, gets prime PP time and averages over 2 minutes per game more ice time) in 14 less games.

I get it. You're a homer. And you've honestly probably never seen Klingberg play. We all think our players are better than other team's players. Again, I'm not taking anything away from Ekblad. He's a fantastic player. However, it should be quite obvious that Klingberg should be considered for the Calder. He has no chance of actually winning it, but he should be considered.

 

[Morry83]

Not sure if you are serious?

I read this in Kanye's voice and not sure if I should have or not.

Didn't think about that when I typed it, but that's actually quite funny. Definitely sound a bit like Kanye there haha.

 

[FlaPanthers11]

1. You know this, how?

2. By 12 games.

3. Really?

Ekblad - .5681 PPG
Klingberg - .5625 PPG

Virtually the same.

4. Klingberg is actually quite good defensively. He is very positionally sound. Always makes smart plays with the puck. I hate the stat, but he's currently a team leading +8. Ekblad is a +7.

Advanced stats show they aren't too far apart.

While Ekblad's Corsi Relative is 8.7 he faces much weaker QoC (-3.015). Klingberg Corsi Relative is 7.9 but he faces a QoC of 1.219. Ekblad has a PDO of 997, while Klingberg's is 1020. It's also interesting to note that Ekblad has a 58.9 Offensive Zone Start % and a 52.2 Offensive Zone Finish %. Klingberg has a 49.0 Off Zone Start % and a 51.9 Off Zone Finish %.

5. I fail to see how this matters. I don't even know why you'd use that as an argument against him. As far as defensemen go, he's 3 points behind Daley (who gets prime PP time and averages over 2 minutes per game more ice time than Klingberg) in 11 less games, and 5 points behind Goligoski (who, again, gets prime PP time and averages over 2 minutes per game more ice time) in 14 less games.

I get it. You're a homer. And you've honestly probably never seen Klingberg play. We all think our players are better than other team's players. Again, I'm not taking anything away from Ekblad. He's a fantastic player. However, it should be quite obvious that Klingberg should be considered for the Calder. He has no chance of actually winning it, but he should be considered.

1) He's not scoring at a PPG pace the rest of the year. Sorry to break it to you. He will finish 20 to 30 points behind the top forwards.

2) Those 12 games are important for his raw totals. It's hard enough for a D man to win with a full season of impressive stats. It's also important in questioning whether or not he can sustain his pace. That PDO isn't going anywhere but down.

3) That's a higher pace. He would have to outscore Ekblad by a fair margin to beat him out for a top 3 nomination.

4) Actually quite good defensively but not as good as Ekblad.

5) It shows he's on a higher scoring team and not exactly standing out as much as the other 3 (and even Hutchinson who is in 4th) are. It's a simple concept to understand.

(Insert generic HF argument here.)

I get it. You're a homer. And you've honestly probably never seen Ekblad play. We all think our players are better than other team's players. Again, I'm not taking anything away from Klingberg. He's a fantastic player. However, it should be quite obvious that Klingberg shouldn't be considered for the Calder. He has no chance of actually winning it, and he shouldn't be considered.

 

[LaGu]

1) He's not scoring at a PPG pace the rest of the year. Sorry to break it to you. He will finish 20 to 30 points behind the top forwards.

2) Those 12 games are important for his raw totals. It's hard enough for a D man to win with a full season of impressive stats. It's also important in questioning whether or not he can sustain his pace. That PDO isn't going anywhere but down.

3) That's a higher pace. He would have to outscore Ekblad by a fair margin to beat him out for a top 3 nomination.

4) Actually quite good defensively but not as good as Ekblad.

5) It shows he's on a higher scoring team and not exactly standing out as much as the other 3 (and even Hutchinson who is in 4th) are. It's a simple concept to understand.

(Insert generic HF argument here.)

I get it. You're a homer. And you've honestly probably never seen Ekblad play. We all think our players are better than other team's players. Again, I'm not taking anything away from Klingberg. He's a fantastic player. However, it should be quite obvious that Klingberg shouldn't be considered for the Calder. He has no chance of actually winning it, and he shouldn't be considered.

Of course he should and will be considered. He is 7th in points among rookies, 2nd in points among D and tied for 1 in goals for D.

Ekblad is obviously ahead of Klingberg at the moment, but don't be absurd, of course he belongs in the conversation.

Many things can happen in the 30+ games that remain and there are several, including Klingberg, who are behind but not far enough to be out of it.

 

[FlaPanthers11]

Of course he should and will be considered. He is 7th in points among rookies, 2nd in points among D and tied for 1 in goals for D.

Ekblad is obviously ahead of Klingberg at the moment, but don't be absurd, of course he belongs in the conversation.

Many things can happen in the 30+ games that remain and there are several, including Klingberg, who are behind but not far enough to be out of it.

The top 3 are typically the ones designated as "considered". Klingberg right now is no higher than 5th and, realistically, outside of the chance of injury he doesn't have a chance to catch any of the top 3. He won't be considered.

To this point, I think it still is, and has been, Forsberg's.

 

[mustardnight*]

Michael Hutchinson anyone?

 

[Drake744]

Michael Hutchinson anyone?

Yeah I'm shocked I read this whole thread and he wasn't even mentioned. He won't win, but he's having a hell of a year.

As for the top 3, I just hope any of Forsberg, Ekblad and Jonathan Hockey aren't eliminated due to injury and they're all able to stay healthy.

 

[Mubiki]

So your last Calder winner was a lie?

Huberdeau shouldn't have won. But he did for the same reason Forsberg will likely win this year; awards are primarily based on goals and points.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Breaking News there are no awards for forwards in the NHL

Sure there are. The Selke is a forward award. And the Hart is primarily an award for forwards although occasionally a defenceman or goalie wins but only if they have an extraordinary year ie one for the ages and there is no obvious forward to win the award.