Randy Butternubs
Registered User
As it is now (NHL Records):
Why it should change:
The proposed change:
"Eligibility: To be eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, a player cannot have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons in any major professional league. Beginning in 1990-91, a player must not have attained his 26th birthday by Sept. 15 of the season in which he is eligible."
Why it should change:
1. "any major professional league" is not defined. Though I believe this stems from when the WHA was a league. The KHL is a professional league and as written none of Ovechkin, Malkin, Panarin, etc. should have been eligible. As it is now, even the AHL could be considered a professional league. Drop this verbiage and make it only pertain to the NHL.
2. "25 games in any single season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons" ... how are these 25 or 12 games equivalent? I think it makes more sense to limit it to total minutes played in the NHL. For skaters make it somewhere around 500 minutes and 1500 for goalies. As such, Bunting would not have been eligible for Calder votes in 21/22. But I'm open to different total TOI.
3. "must not have attained his 26th birthday" ... I just feel that 26 is too old at this point (at least for skaters). Drop it lower to 24 or even 23.
The proposed change:
"Eligibility: To be eligible for the Calder Memorial Trophy, a player must not have played more than 500 minutes if a skater or 1500 minutes for a goalie at the NHL level. Beginning in 2024-25, a player must not have attained his 24th birthday by Sept. 15 of the season in which he is eligible."