Matthews, Laine not the only players worthy of Calder consideration
Jackets' Werenski, Pens' Murray having stellar rookie years
Round two between fab freshmen Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews lived up to the hype.
Matthews checked in with three assists in the 5-4 overtime win for his Toronto Maple Leafs, while his Winnipeg Jets counterpart scored twice at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night.
The memorable evening pushed the 19-year-old Matthews to 28 goals and 52 points to become only the second teenager in Maple Leafs history to register more than 50 points in a season. The last was the great Ted Kennedy, who as a 19-year-old scored a remarkable 29 goals and 54 points in only 49 games in 1944-45.
Laine, meanwhile, became just the fifth rookie in the past 25 seasons to score 30 goals in 55 or fewer games. With an incredible run of seven goals in his last five games, the Finnish teenager has moved to within Sidney Crosby's league-leading 33 goals.
What Matthews and the 18-year-old Laine have accomplished so far has been one of the most captivating storylines to the season. But we interrupt this love-in to remind hockey fans that there are two other rookies who require consideration for the Calder Trophy — Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski and Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray.
There still is a quarter of a season to go. Yet it seems like — particularly in Canada — the Calder Trophy race consists of only two players, Matthews and Laine.
I get that this is a nice and tidy angle with Matthews the first overall selection in the 2016 NHL draft and Laine chosen second. The pair also hasn't disappointed with outstanding seasons.
But Werenski and Murray have been spot on too.
"I agree," says an NHL pro scout for an Eastern Conference club. "I believe, in particular, Werenski should be in the conversation."
"The problem with Murray is he plays for the defending Stanley Cup champions," chimed in a Western Conference scout. "He doesn't get enough credit, plus he has missed some time [eight games] because of injuries.
"But put Werenski or Murray in Toronto and Matthews in Columbus and how does the rookie picture change?"
We asked our Eastern Conference scout for a picture of how he sees the four freshmen:
Laine: "Deadly release and one timer … unique blend of finesse and power forward attributes."
Matthews: "Elite power, puck skills, vision and separating shot … No. 1 centre moving forward."
Murray: "Calm in recovery … strong play-reading ability … quick and controlled … top-10 NHL starter now."
Werenski: "PP QB … No. 1 d-man in the making … skating and leg power is exceptional … threat to shoot and or exploit pass/shot lanes with skill and precision."
Incredible numbers
Besides Werenski playing in Columbus and Murray being buried on a star-studded team like Pittsburgh, the pair also play different positions than forwards Matthews and Laine. Individual NHL trophy winners tend to be judged too much on stats alone.
Laine (54 points in 55 games) and Matthews (52 points in 59 games) also have put up incredible numbers. But consider these comparisons for Werenski and Murray.
When defenceman Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers won the Calder Trophy two years ago, he scored 12 goals and 39 points in 81 games. Werenski already has nine goals and 36 points in 58 games.
When goalie Steve Mason, then with the Blue Jackets, won the 2008-09 Calder Trophy he went 33-20-7 with a .915 save percentage. Murray, who at 22 is the elder statesman of this foursome, so far has gone 22-7-3 with a .926 save percentage.
These four have packed in plenty in their young careers. While Laine and Matthews strutted their stuff at the world championship last May, Werenski left the University of Michigan after his sophomore year and helped the Lake Erie Monsters win the AHL Calder Cup. Murray won 15 of the Penguins' 16 games in their march to the Stanley Cup.
So let's see how the final 47 days of the regular season play out. What's neat is that if this rookie race comes down to the final few days of the regular season, Laine goes up against Werenski in the Jets' 81st game, while Matthews will face Murray on the penultimate evening and Werenski on the final day
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