(WGR 550/WBEN) – The NHL held its annual Awards Show on Monday in Nashville, honoring the best of the best from the 2022-23 regular season.
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Buffalo Sabres rookie defenseman Owen Power finished in third for Calder Trophy voting as the league's Rookie of the Year. His former University of Michigan teammate Matty Beniers from the Seattle Kraken ended up winning the award, as expected.
Beniers had 160 first place votes and 1,836 points from the voters. Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner had 1,074 points with 24 first place votes, while Power had only nine first place votes and 929 points.
Sabres winger Jack Quinn was 12th in Calder Trophy voting, picking up three fifth place votes worth three points.
Although there were no other finalists for any awards from the Sabres on Monday, some players did end up earning some votes for certain awards.
A few Sabres players earned votes for the Lady Byng Trophy as the NHL player voted to "best combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability." Earning votes were forwards Victor Olofsson, Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner.
For a long while to start the 2022-23 season, Rasmus Dahlin was widely seen as a top-three candidate for the Norris Trophy given to the NHL's top defenseman. Dahlin ended up finishing eighth in voting, while fellow Swede Erik Karlsson won his third-career Norris Trophy.
Connor McDavid was one vote away from winning his second unanimous Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player. That one vote he was missing went to David Pastrnak, while that same individual gave McDavid a fifth place vote.
Tage Thompson did end up earning some votes for the Hart Trophy, as he finished in a tie for 14th in voting with 14 points.
The 2023 NHL Draft starts Wednesday night in Nashville with the first round, followed by Rounds 2-7 starting late Thursday morning.
Tune in at 7 p.m. ET when Brayton Wilson and Josh Schmit take you through Round 1 coverage on WGR. I’ll be joining them live from Nashville.