By Peter Valentino

Since we have a week to go until the playoffs begin, and it’s still pretty hard to see who is going to be in and out (especially out west), I’ll choose to go with the individual awards at the end of the year.

Art Ross (Most Points)
Barring a hot streak from Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid should finish the year with this award. In an ultimately disappointing season for Edmonton, McDavid is quickly seizing the crown of best player in the NHL from Ovechkin and Crosby. Another Ross trophy can’t hurt that pursuit.

Calder (Best Rookie)
This award is basically locked up by Islanders Centre Mathew Barzal. The Devils’ Nico Hischier has had a great first year, but Barzal has started the conversation within the Isles organization as the man who can replace John Tavares, who is expected to leave in free agency. This kid is the real deal. Expect Clayton Keller’s name to be thrown around as well.

Richard (Most Goals)
Ovechkin should take this award home again, adding to his trophy case. The real question is, will he get to 50 by the end of this week? He is at 45 as of Sunday with four games left. I wouldn’t put it past him.

Vezina (Best Goalie)
This race has been pretty volatile for most of the year. It started with Vasilevskiy in Tampa, then shifted to Tuukka Rask in Boston, and now it seems that Pekka Rinne has the lead in Nashville. Generally, I think it should go to Rinne, as the offense has carried the Lightning and the Bruins at certain points in the season. Connor Hellebuyck out of Winnipeg will also get some buzz.

Jack Adams (Best Coach)
This one should go to Gerard Gallant out of Vegas. The inaugural season records being broken are incredible, and the credit should go to the coach. Expect Paul Maurice and Peter Laviolette to get some looks too.

Norris (Best Defenseman)
Drew Doughty has had a fantastic season, and PK Subban showed that last year’s run was no fluke for the Preds, but Victor Hedman should bring this one home. 60 points out of a defenseman is remarkable, and he should get rewarded for it. Expect John Klingberg from Dallas to get some attention for his offensive production as well.

Hart (MVP)
This is an odd race. What started at the beginning of the year as a McDavid-Crosby race has turned into a Mackinnon-Hall race. Nathan Mackinnon and Taylor Hall have led their teams from abysmal 2017 campaigns to the playoff races in 2018. This one is wide open, as Blake Wheeler from Winnipeg and Aleksander Barkov from Florida will get some votes. This one is going to be fun to watch come June.

While a lot of races are locked up, a few of the most important are still to be decided. Who will put their name in history?