Proposal to update Calder eligibility

[Randy Butternubs]

As it is now (NHL Records):

"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."​

Click to read more...

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I'm down.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

Feels like a change to make it a "who we want to win it" award instead of just seeing how it plays out. I don't get thumbing the scale and excluding good players just because they have a perceived edge. Lots of young guys playing in professional leagues that couldn't carry Bedard's stick let alone compete with him. Why are we afraid of any good player winning?

 

[zar]

Agreed. It was ridiculous that an 18 year old Gretzky was ineligible while a 31 year old Makarov was eligible.

I know they cut the age down, but not far enough. The fact a 25 year old KHL veteran, who has likely played 6-7 years in that league, is eligible is a head scratcher.

I like your idea of “NHL experience” and would lower the age to 23 by September 15.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I like a lot of your changes except for the minutes part. It should be games played for better or worse. Just because you aren't on the ice for 20 min a night you are still gaining a ton of pro experience just by being there on the bench and skating and practicing with the team. Minutes played could lead to some very weird manipulation... not that I think that would happen but it's possible.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

I don't think those changes are needed.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Wording and age was changed way after, the WHA. Seems fine as is.

 

[SirPaste]

Seems like you are trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[theVladiator]

1. Wording on "professional league". No brainer, because everyone knows anyways that "professional league" means NHL. Then again, everyone knows, so why change?
2. Minutes vs games. I think it's fine as it is. 25+ games in a single season or 6+ games in each of 2+ seasons are reasonable thresholds.
3. I think it's fine as it is. Makarov winning it 30+ years ago is the only case where this rule would have made a difference anyway, and only because of the Iron Curtain.

Side note: Calder is such a meaningless trophy anyways. Making a splash in your first pro year is hardly a big achievement. A lot depends on the year's rookie crop and sheer luck. What a player does over the whole career matters tons more.

 

[tmg]

Goalies winning the Calder is rare enough as it is. I believe 3 of the last 5 goalies that won the Calder would have been ineligible by the proposed criteria. And the most recent finalist.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Outside of the Panarin outlier I don't see the issue with how it is right now

 

[Crow]

I don’t like 6 games in 2 years. So theoretically a guy isn’t a rookie if he barely played 12 games in spot duty because of injuries? A couple tastes of action in the NHL is not enough for me to say he isn’t a rookie.

 

[kaiser matias]

I don’t like 6 games in 2 years. So theoretically a guy isn’t a rookie if he barely played 12 games in spot duty because of injuries? A couple tastes of action in the NHL is not enough for me to say he isn’t a rookie.

It's what kept Alex Pietrangelo from being eligible. Doesn't happen often though.

 

[NVious]

Another update is that Kravtsov should always be eligible to win it, if he has a massive year and he's 33 who cares about previous rules? Just give the man his damn trophy.

#Kravtsov4Calder2028

 

[Wasted Talent]

Does dropping the age limit to 23 even change anything?

Even Kaprizov and Panarin were both 23 in September 15th of the season they won Calder.

 

[Three On Zero]

No issues with the current criteria, don’t know why it would need to change.

 

[SirloinUB]

What is the problem with how it is currently awarded?

 

[I am Bettman]

I think there shouldn’t be an age limit at all. Who cares if an older guy wins it if he really was the best rookie? Seems like it’s just intended to allow younger players with lots of hype to grow in popularity.

 

[mouser]

I think there shouldn’t be an age limit at all. Who cares if an older guy wins it if he really was the best rookie? Seems like it’s just intended to allow younger players with lots of hype to grow in popularity.

Response to 31 year old Makarov winning the Calder.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

We make it a U23 trophy. A player can win it multiple times.

 

[Oilslick941611]

As it is now (NHL Records):

"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."​

Drop it lower like 22 tops. This award is for amazing rookies. 24 is too old

 

[My3Sons]

As it is now (NHL Records):

"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."​

You’ve given it a fair amount of thought and provide actual resolution so good work. I agree with much of it. I’d like to see the award limited to 24 or younger but not sure when the cutoff should be. My thought process is that at the outside a player can graduate college and get a season in the AHL before aging out. Obviously the Canadian juniors kids generally hit the AHL at 20-21 with non-KHL Euro guys around the same age