The lights, the suits, the laughs, the glitz and glamour….the NHL Awards! The Count, Gary Bettman, will be presenting the awards to the best of the best…so let UPDATE! give you a preview of what to expect. Remember, only the regular season is taken into account for these awards so disregard everything you’ve seen over the past month and a bit.

Hart Memorial Trophy: This years MVP award is not the lock that everyone might think it is. The nominees are Alex Ovechkin (WAS), Jarome Iginla (CGY) and Evgeni Malkin (PIT). Everyone has pinned Ovechkin as the lock but let’s not forget that Evgeni Malkin single handedly carried the Penguins for about two months of the season while Sidney Crosby was down and out. With that being said, however, I think it is still Ovechkin’s award to be one. You can’t deny 65 goals and 112 points for a guy who is basically a one man team. It isn’t the Washington Caps. It’s Ovechkin’s Caps. Prediction: Alexander the Great

Vezina Trophy: The award for the league’s best goaltender SHOULD go to someone OTHER than Marty Brodeur this year. The nominees are Martin Brodeur (NJ), Evgeni Nabokov (SJ) and Henrik Lundqvist (NYR). Brodeur and Nabokov were both spectacular but Lundqvist’s numbers were just too good. He posted 10 shutouts, a 37-24 record (fourth best) and a 2.23 GAA. Couple this with the fact that the defense in front of him was one of the league’s worst, and that he kept the Rangers in a strong position even when the team couldn’t score a goal and you have one hell of a season. Prediction: Henrik Lundqvist.

James Norris Trophy: You know who the league’s best defenseman is. Don’t try to hide it. The nominees might include names like Zdeno Chara (BOS) and Dion Phaneuf (CGY) but you know that Nicklas Lidstrom (DET) will win it, catipulting him into third on the all time list with this potential sixth Norris trophy. That will make it six times in seven seasons, ladies and gentleman. 70 points in 76 games and a +40 rating (both tops in the NHL). Prediction: Nik Lidstrom

Calder Trophy: This years batch of rookies was one of the best in recent memory (not quite the Crosby-Ovechkin matchup, but still). Patrick Kane (CHI), Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) and Jonathan Toews (CHI) round out this years batch of up and comers. Poor Jonathan Toews will get the short end of his stick as he only played in 64 games due to injury. In those 64 games, however, he managed 24 goals and 54 points. His teammate Patrick Kane will likely come out on top. Kane’s numbers (21 goals, 72 points) edge out Backstrom’s (14 goals, 69 points) just barely. The points alone don’t make the winner, however. What makes Kane the winner in this case is the fact that he become the rookie leader without the help of Alex Ovechkin, as was the case with Backstrom. Prediction: Patrick Kane

Frank J. Selke Trophy: The league’s best defensive forward is another tough one to call. On the one side you have two Red Wings (arguably the best all around defensive team in hockey) in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk and on the other side you have one of the league’s best defensive players in New Jersey’s John Madden. As talented as Zetterberg is in his defensive game and as much as a shut-down force Madden is, I think you have to give this to Datsyuk. Apart from being one of the league’s best players (31 goals, 97 points), he managed to have the best plus-minus in the league with a plus-41 rating. Couple that with his 18 penalty minutes while playing a major checking role and you’ve also got my prediction for the next award. Prediction: Pavel Datsyuk

Lady Byng Trophy: Sorry Jason Pominville (BUF) and Martin St. Louis (TB) but Pavel Datsyuk (DET) is the league’s most gentlemanly player by a long shot. Both Pominville and St. Louis kept their penalty minutes in check all year but none of them did so while playing as physical and defensive a game as Pavel Datsyuk did. In 82 games, playing as much defense as offense, Datsyuk only managed to amass 20 minutes of penalties. Absolutely phenomenal. Prediction: Pavel Datsyuk

Jack Adams Trophy: The league’s best Coach is a tough one. Do you pick Guy Carbonneau (MTL), who led his team to the East’s best record? How about Mike Babcock (DET), whose team held the league’s best record? What about Bruce Boudreau (WAS), picking his team up from the gutter and getting them into the playoffs? A tough one indeed. Poor Mike Babcock loses out on this one, however, as his team was just too good. He had a lot more to work with than either Carbonneau or Boudreau. My prediction for the award is not who I think SHOULD win, however. Guy Carbonneau will likely get the award, leading an overacheiving Canadiens team on a magical season all the way throughout while Bruce Boudreau — in his first NHL coaching stint — turned the fortunes of the failing Caps right around. He managed to give Ovechkin the right lineup, offering him the chance to be the league’s leading scorer, while also developing the young Niklas Backstrom into a quality pivot. Sadly, though, Carb’s gonna beat him out. Prediciton: Guy Carobonneau

Enjoy the festivities and get ready for the off season wheelings and dealings!

J.P. DEL MONTE IS UPDATE! NHL EDITOR

At this point in the NHL season, the playoff teams are usually decided. But not this year, and especially not in the Eastern Conference. Before I go into what’s going on in the East, let’s discuss the Conference that seems to be more settled at this point, that of course being the West. 

The Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks have each clinched their division and currently occupy the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the West. The Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche occupy the next four slots and have clinched playoff berths as well, meaning there are only two spots not secured at this point. Currently, those spots are occupied by the Calgary Flames (92 pts) and Nashville Predators (89 pts). The Vancouver Canucks are breathing down Nashville’s neck (88 pts). That race may go down to the last day of the season, but Calgary seems like a foregone conclusion to be entering the playoffs.

In the East, only three teams have clinched playoff spots. Those teams are the Pittsburgh Penguins (100 pts), the Montreal Canadiens (100 pts) and the fourth seeded New Jersey Devils (95 pts). The three seed is still undetermined because the Washington Capitals pulled into a virtual tie with the Carolina Hurricanes with their most recent win. Both teams have 90 points, but Carolina has one more win under their belt.

The Rangers currently sit in fifth place with 93 points. The Ottawa Senators, who may have one of the biggest late-season collapses in NHL history going, are in sixth with 92 points. And, last but not least, the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers are tied for seventh place with both teams holding 91 points.

Depending on what plays out with the Capitals / Hurricanes battle, the loser of the two take the ninth seed, but with plenty of chances to get into one of the bottom seeds. The Buffalo Sabres are in tenth with 88 points, but will need Ottawa to complete their epic collapse to make the playoffs. Only time will tell and who knows, maybe someone I haven’t spoken about will sneak into the playoffs. We will have to wait and see. Until next time…

–MIKE GANCI

Read all of Mike’s blog’s at http://www.dailystache.com

I respect the rights laid out in every players contracts and I’m also under the belief that if ownership is dumb enough to give a player either too much money, a no trade/no movement clause or 25 years of service it’s the players right to accept it! 

But I have to say, I HATE these no trade clauses. I’m a Toronto Maple Leaf fan, so if you’ve been following the deadline you understand why I would hate these clauses so much. What bothers me most is that a guy like Mats Sundin – the captain and heart of our team for over a decade — is not the only one with a no trade clause. Bryan McCabe, Darcy Tucker, and Tomas Kaberle all have these dreaded clauses. Even recently acquired (sort of recently acquired) Pavel Kubina has one!

Out of those four, Tomas Kaberle might be the only one worthy of the clause which makes me think: Why doesn’t the league have some discussions with the NHLPA and come up with a solution to a problem that handcuffs teams with terrible managerial skills? I know, I know, it’s not the player’s fault that management is dumb, but it IS the player’s fault that these clauses are brought up in discussion.

The league should look into the idea of an NFL-like “Franchise Tag” situation where a team is allotted two-to-three no-trade clauses. That way you can ONLY lock up your true cornerstones. It would limit the demand and leverage from upcoming UFAs negotiating a contract. The UFAs already have way more leverage than needed.

PLEASE consider…having about $20 million locked up for just four players makes me cry a little.

J.P. Del Monte