The Philadelphia Flyers saw rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere have one of the best seasons offensively on the team – all from the blue line.
That was good enough to earn him a spot as one of the league’s three best rookies for the 2015-16 season, with the NHL naming him as one of the finalists for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Gostisbehere, a third round draft selection from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, will join forwards Connor McDavid and Artemi Panarin as the finalists for the trophy, earning his spot as one of the final three with 17 goals and 46 points in just 64 games played during the regular season and a goal in his six post-season appearances.
There’s an argument to be made for each of the three finalists, with no one candidate immediately jumping out as the clear frontrunner.
Gostisbehere put up nearly 50 points as a defenseman in an incomplete season, playing in 19 more games than McDavid and doing so with no major pro experience (unlike Panarin, who played in the KHL prior to arriving in North America this year).
McDavid, as mentioned above, didn’t play anywhere close to a full season, weakening his case for the award. Still, his 16 goals and 48 points in 45 games gave him some of the best production in the NHL, looking at both rookies and veterans – and while there’s the question of how he would have produced over a full season, it’s hard to ignore his impressive offensive numbers during the games he was healthy.
The final candidate, Panarin, sees his case for the award only weakened by his prior pro experience – the 24-year-old winger was a top point producer for the KHL’s St. Petersburg SKA prior to arriving in the NHL this year, giving him an edge in quality of prior competition over his two fellow finalists. Still, prior experience doesn’t make it any easier to put up 30 goals and 77 points in 80 regular season games, which Panarin managed to do.
The winner of the award will be announced this June at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The post Shayne Gostisbehere joins Panarin, McDavid as Calder Finalists appeared first on Todays SlapShot.