In the latest instalment of it’s Trophy Tracker series, NHL.com has release the result of a polling of 16 of its journalists today concerning the Calder Trophy race. It was a tight affair but Montreal Canadiens rookie blueliner Lane Hutson is edging the competition three quarters of the way into the season.
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Hutson received 69 points in the poll, including six first place vote, edging his former teammate at Boston University Macklin Celebrini who took the second place with 66 points. Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf, who was dominant against the Canadiens on Saturday night, finished in third place with 46 points, just ahead of Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov who had 41.
It’s much too early to celebrate the win however as this was not an official poll, but the methodology used was similar to how the PWHA members are polled at the end of the season to pick a winner. Each of the 16 journalists was asked to put their five top candidates in order and points were awarded to the players on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis.
The Calder race has been rather exciting to watch this season, with a couple of skilled forwards picking up points in bunches, a goaltender who’s carrying his team on his back and Hutson, a defenseman who is fast finding his way in the NHL’s most storied franchise record book.
Even the most optimistic of fans wouldn’t have guessed that the 5-foot-9 rearguard would have reached the 50-carrer point mark faster than Chris Chelios did it. Hutson needed 63 games to achieve the feat while Chelios needed 66.
Earlier this season, he also established the longest point streak for a rookie defenseman wearing the Sainte-Flanelle when he put up points in seven consecutive games. Glen Harmon and the aforementioned Chelios previously shared the six games point streak record. Hutson very nearly had another seven game point streak but he was stopped in his tracks by Wolf’s fantastic performance on Saturday.
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