NHL midseason awards 2023: Connor McDavid, Adam Fox, Linus Ullmark headline winners at halfway point

The 2022-23 NHL season is officially halfway over. Every club has played its 41st game, meaning there are 40 or fewer games to go before the playoffs. 

While the NHL awards won’t be announced for another few months, the races have already begun with the Twitter arguments and discussions in full swing. 

Like every year, there are a plethora of surprising candidates that have burst onto the awards scene and will be in serious contention for individual hardware. And as always, some same faces that have earned the honors before are in a position to do so again. 

MORE: How close Alex Ovechkin is to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record

Here is how The Sporting News views the major NHL awards at the midway point of the season. 

Awards odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.

NHL midseason awards 2023

Hart Trophy

Midseason winner: Connor McDavid

This year, many Hart candidates are players never before considered a potential MVP, such as Jason Robertson, Tage Thompson and Jack Hughes. 

However, the Hart Trophy is McDavid’s to lose at this point.

The best player in the league is doing that thing again where he is putting up video game numbers and making the competition look foolish night in and night out. McDavid leads the league in goals, assists and points. He could go pointless the rest of the season and still finish as a point-per-game player.

The Oilers are a borderline playoff team right now with McDavid on pace for another career year. Imagine where Edmonton would be without their captain.

Preseason prediction: Cale Makar

This was based on Makar taking another step after his sensational 2021-22 year, which was going to be hard to do. A defenseman hasn’t won MVP since Chris Pronger in 2000 and it doesn’t appear as though that trend will be broken this year.

Norris Trophy

Midseason winner: Adam Fox

There is no award race that is going to be as tight as the one for the Norris. There are a number of players who you can make a solid argument for, including Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Karlsson and Josh Morrissey.

However, the nod goes to Fox. He’s fourth in points among defensemen behind the three mentioned above, while second overall in the league in takeaways. Fox has the most balanced profile out of any of the candidates, performing offensively at a point-per-game rate while still excelling in his own zone. 

Now, the Norris Trophy has become a lot more about points than overall play as a defenseman, which may lead voters to give Karlsson and Dahlin an edge. But Fox is playing better than he did when he won the honor two years ago and deserves to get the recognition again. 

Preseason prediction: Cale Makar

Makar is still in the conversation for the Norris, but it would take him going nuclear in the back half of the season for him to win a second Norris in a row. 

Vezina Trophy

Midseason winner: Linus Ullmark

It’s pretty fair to say Ullmark’s dominance this season has been a surprise. He wasn’t even the Bruins’ starter by the end of the playoffs, as Jeremy Swayman started the final five games of the team’s first-round series loss to the Hurricanes. 

Ullmark has gone from splitting the crease with Swayman to being the bonafide No. 1. The Swede leads the league in goals-against average, save percentage and wins. He’s also first in goals saved above expected. 

Sure, the Bruins are a juggernaut this year and have one of the best defensive cores in the leagues in front of him. But if Ullmark keeps up the pace he has so far, it’s going to be very hard to argue against giving him the Vezina. 

Preseason prediction: Juuse Saros

Some thought the Predators were going to be better this year and as a result, we’d see Saros compete for the Vezina. Saros is doing his part — he’s seventh in save percentage and third in goals saved above expected. But the Nashville defense continues to be a problem, putting Saros’ goals-against average outside the top 15. 

Selke Trophy

Midseason winner: Patrice Bergeron

Just a few months ago, Bergeron broke Bob Gainey’s record for most Selke awards by winning his sixth. There’s a very real chance that the longtime Bruins center grabs No. 7 this year.

Bergeron continues to be a force in the two-way game. He is winning over 60% of his draws and starts roughly 19% of the time in his own zone. Night in and night out, he’s playing against the competition’s top lines and yet, still is just under a point-per-game player. 

Oh, and he’s doing this at 37 years old. There were rumors of a potential Bergeron retirement last summer and yet, here we are with Bergeron dominating the two-way game like he always has. 

Preseason prediction: Aleksander Barkov

Barkov is averaging over a point-per-game and continues to be an elite defensive forward in the league. But he missed time with injury and the Panthers as a team have not been good.

Also disclaimer: When I returned to my preseason prediction, I was genuinely shocked to see that I didn’t pick Bergeron. Hand up, that’s on me for somehow doubting quite possibly the greatest two-way forward to ever play in the NHL.

Calder Trophy

Midseason winner: Matty Beniers

Beniers’ transition to the NHL level has been flawless. He joined the Kraken late last season and had nine points in 10 games. This season, he’s continued at his just under a point-per-game rate, with 36 in 42 games. 

Among all rookies, Beniers is first in goals and points and is tied for second in assists. He’s also been a steady two-way presence for Seattle. Everything that the Kraken hoped they were getting when they selected him No. 2 overall in 2021, Beniers has been just that. 

A few of the goalies could make a run at the Calder, like Logan Thompson and Stuart Skinner. But as long as Beniers keeps producing the way he is, he’ll be Rookie of the Year. 

Preseason prediction: Matty Beniers

The lone preseason pick that looks good to hit. Beniers had set expectations high and hasn’t disappointed. 

Jack Adams Award

Midseason winner: Jim Montgomery

The coaches in new places this season are doing quite well. The top three teams in the Western Conference have head coaches in their first year with the clubs — Rick Bowness with the Jets, Peter DeBoer with the Stars and Bruce Cassidy with the Golden Knights. 

But no one is matching the results that Montgomery has had in Boston. Montgomery has installed a much-improved defensive system and has helped get young players like Jake DeBrusk and Trent Frederic to take a step forward. With a strong core already in place, the Bruins are on pace to set a new league record for points in a season. 

Preseason prediction: Gerard Gallant

The Rangers are still a top team in the East, but this year hasn’t been the easiest in the Big Apple for Gallant’s crew. There are still concerns over the development of Alexis Lafreniere and Kappo Kakko, in addition to the team’s continued struggles to produce at 5 on 5.