Super 16: Players from teams in NHL.com power rankings with best chance at postseason awards

We have a tie.

The New York Rangers and Dallas Stars, who are separated by one point in the race for the Presidents' Trophy, are even closer in the Super 16 this week, each finishing with 200 voting points, tied for No. 1 in the power rankings.

Unofficially (there's nothing official about this anyway), the tiebreaker is most times ranked No. 1 among the 13 staff members who vote weekly for the Super 16.

The Rangers were ranked No. 1 by eight voting members and the Stars No. 1 by the remaining five, so it's the Rangers who get the nod as the No. 1 team this week. They were also ranked No. 2 twice and No. 3 three times, but it's their eight No. 1s that get them the top spot.

This week, the theme for the Super 16 is trophy candidates for each team. Who has the best chance of winning some postseason hardware?

The awards under consideration are the Hart Trophy for the League's most valuable player to his team, the Norris Trophy for the best defenseman, Calder Trophy for the best rookie, Vezina Trophy for the top goalie, Jack Adams Award to the best coach, Selke Trophy for the top defensive forward, Bill Masterton Memorial Award for dedication, sportsmanship and perseverance, and the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.

As a reminder, to come up with the Super 16 each week, the voters put together their own version of what they think the rankings should look like and a point total is assigned to each, with the team selected first given 16 points, second 15, third 14, and so on.

Here is award-winning edition of the Super 16:

1. New York Rangers (53-22-4)

Total points: 200 (eight No. 1 votes)
Last week: No. 1

"In any other season, forward Artemi Panarin would be a strong candidate for the Hart Trophy, but with the seasons being had by Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid, he may not even be a finalist for MVP, so I'm going to go with Mika Zibanejad as a possible winner for the Selke Trophy. Though his numbers are down this season, his 200-foot game is a good as ever, and with Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins retired, the award is wide open. Why not Zibanejad?" -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

2. Dallas Stars (50-20-9)

Total points: 200 (five No. 1 votes)
Last week: No. 2

"Sure, Jim Nill won the GM of the Year Award last year, but I'd argue he's a great candidate to win it again this season. Nill has led the construction of a team built to win the Stanley Cup after coming close last season. The Stars advanced to the 2023 Western Conference Final, a six-game loss to the eventual Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. He helped draft some of their great young prospects. Logan Stankoven is the latest. The forward made his NHL debut this season and is impacting an already deep team. Signing Matt Duchene to a one-year contract July 1 after the forward was bought out by the Nashville Predators has worked out well. Duchene has 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 77 games. The Stars are a formidable group and Nill's work deserves recognition again." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

3. Carolina Hurricanes (50-22-7)

Total points: 171
Last week: No. 5

"As a goalie, Pyotr Kochetkov doesn't get as much attention as some of the skaters up for the Calder Trophy, but he will get some consideration for the top rookie award. After beginning the season in the American Hockey League, Kochetkov carried much of the goaltending load for the Hurricanes while Frederik Andersen was sidelined with a blood clot issue and Antti Raanta dealt with injuries and inconsistency. Among rookie goalies to play at least 20 NHL games, the 24-year-old is first in wins (22), goals-against average (2.34) and shutouts (four) and second in save percentage (.911) in 41 games (39 starts). Depending on how far Carolina advances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Don Waddell also could be among the favorites for GM of the Year after bold moves to acquire forwards Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

4. Boston Bruins (46-18-15)

Total points: 170
Last week: No. 3

"One year ago, the Bruins were in line for a slew of awards. Linus Ullmark won the Vezina. Jim Montgomery won the Jack Adams. Bergeron won his sixth Selke. David Pastrnak finished second in the Hart voting. This season? Not so much. The Bruins have been a very good team all season but have not had anyone likely to rise to the award-level. Will Pastrnak get some votes for the Hart? Yes. Should Montgomery get some votes for the Jack Adams after a season when he's likely been a better coach than last year? Also, yes. And if the combination of Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman were eligible for the Vezina, they could collect some too. It's possible that Don Sweeney could garner some support as GM of the Year, but in the end, I think the Bruins would be more than happy to make it deeper into the playoffs and forgo the awards this season that they won last season." -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

5. Colorado Avalanche (49-24-6)

Total points: 154
Last week: No. 4

"MacKinnon is up for every award it seems, but he is most likely to win either the Art Ross Trophy as the League's leading scorer and/or the Hart Trophy. MacKinnon is second to Kucherov in the race for the Art Ross, trailing by two points with three games to go and Kucherov with four left. Not only does MacKinnon have 137 points (51 goals, 86 assists), he's two behind the Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques record for points in a season set by Peter Stastny in 1981-82. Those are the bold points on a resume that will make him a finalist -- if the not the odds-on favorite -- for the Hart Trophy, likely with Kucherov and McDavid." -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

6. Vancouver Canucks (48-22-9)

Total points: 146
Last week: No. 6

"Quinn Hughes is having arguably the best season among defenseman and should be the favorite for the Norris Trophy. He leads his position with 91 points (17 goals, 74 assists), has seven more assists and four more points than Colorado's Cale Makar, is plus-40 and playing 24;49 per game, dominating at even strength and on the power play, and controlling possession whenever he's on the ice. Hughes' defensive game has become a strength, indicative of spending more time in the offensive zone than the defensive zone. Rick Tocchet should also be a candidate for the Jack Adams Award. The Canucks could easily have at least two award winners this season, but Hughes should be a lock." -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

7. Florida Panthers (49-24-6)

Total points: 121
Last week: No. 7

"Sam Reinhart is having a career season, leading Florida in goals (53), points (90), and power-play goals (27) in 79 games. Though the Hart Trophy might be a big ask, considering there are already nine players with at least 100 points this season, the Selke Trophy as the top defensive-forward is not. In addition to what Reinhart has provided offensively, the 28-year-old center is also tied for the NHL lead with five short-handed goals and first among Panthers forwards with 66 blocked shots while averaging 20:17 of ice time." -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

8. Edmonton Oilers (48-24-5)

Total points: 115
Last week: No. 8

"McDavid is once again a candidate to win the Hart Trophy, but he is not the only member of the Oilers who might be considered for an NHL award. Defenseman Evan Bouchard is putting together an outstanding season and could be a Norris candidate and it is difficult to discount the job coach Kris Knoblauch has done since being hired Nov. 12, which could put him in the discussion for the Jack Adams Award. McDavid likely won't catch Kucherov or MacKinnon for the scoring title, but the fact the Oilers captain went from being tied for 113th place in the scoring Nov. 12 to third should garner Hart votes. Bouchard is having a career season with 79 points (17 goals, 62 assists) in 77 games and has blossomed into one of the premier offensive defensemen in the NHL. Knoblauch took a team from the bottom of the NHL standings to second in the Pacific Division. The Oilers were 44-15-4 under Knoblauch entering Wednesday, the best record in the NHL since they fired Jay Woodcroft." -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

9. Winnipeg Jets (48-24-6)

Total points: 111
Last week: No. 10

"This one is easy. Connor Hellebuyck should not only be a finalist but the winner of the Vezina Trophy. He ranks in the top three in wins, goals-against average and save percentage and continues to be a workhorse and the MVP for the Jets. Hellebuyck won the Vezina in 2019-20 and has been a finalist two other times. Four times in the past six seasons, he's finished in the top four, and this season should be no different." -- David Satriano, staff writer

10. Toronto Maple Leafs (46-23-9)

Total points: 96
Last week: No. 9

"Auston Matthews needs four goals in Toronto's last four games to become the first 70-goal scorer in the NHL since 1992-93, when Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny each had 76. Matthews is already going to be a runaway winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the leading goal scorer. He has 13 more than Reinhart, but there is a case to be made for him to win the Hart Trophy too. He may have to get to the milestone number of 70 goals to win it, but he already has the most goals of any active player in the NHL, one more than Alex Ovechkin scored in 2007-08. Matthews would be the ninth player in NHL history to score at least 70 in a season, joining Wayne Gretzky (four times), Brett Hull (three times), Mario Lemieux (twice), Selanne, Mogilny, Phil Esposito, Jari Kurri and Bernie Nichols. Of the 11 seasons that have featured a 70-goal scorer, in only six have one been voted winner of the Hart Trophy. Matthews is up against a lot, but at least he's got the Rocket." -- Rosen

11. Tampa Bay Lightning (44-27-7)

Total points: 79
Last week: No. 13

"Kucherov is surrounded by NHL All-Stars and future Hockey Hall of Famers, but he is one of the frontrunners for the Hart Trophy. His League-high 139 points (43 goals, 96 assists) are 53 more than his next closest teammate, forward Brayden Point (85). He's gone consecutive games without a point twice all season, and it was two games each time (Oct. 15-17, Oct. 30-Nov. 2). Kucherov might have company when the NHL hands out its awards. Victor Hedman could be a Norris finalist, and Jon Cooper should have a chance to win the Jack Adams Award for the first time. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

12. Nashville Predators (45-29-5)

Total points: 69
Last week: No. 11

"Roman Josi isn't the favorite for the Norris Trophy, but he should be a finalist. Nashville's captain is having yet another brilliant season, leading all defensemen with 21 goals and ranking third in points with 80. The Predators started to climb the standings on Feb. 17, when they won 5-2 against the St. Louis Blues. They're 18-4-3 in 25 games since and Josi has 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). He is doing what he always does: provide offense, move the puck out of the defensive zone, shut down when he must play there and eat big minutes every single game. Josi continues to be one of the best defensemen in the world and should be in the Norris conversation even if he's not the favorite." -- Rosen

13. Vegas Golden Knights (42-28-8)

Total points: 49
Last week: No. 12

"How about Kelly McCrimmon for GM of the Year? The defending Stanley Cup champions don't have a player in contention for an individual award. They've been plagued by injuries all season, yet they're still in a playoff spot because of their depth. Deftly maneuvering under the NHL salary cap, taking advantage of rules available to everyone else, the Golden Knights added defenseman Noah Hanifin and forwards Anthony Mantha and Tomas Hertl before the trade deadline. No other team makes more bold moves." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

14. Los Angeles Kings (41-26-11)

Total points: 42
Last week: No. 14

"The Kings don't have a no-brainer candidate for a trophy, although earlier in the season cases could be made for a few of them. Anze Kopitar could have contended for the Lady Byng Trophy given to the player who's shown the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, but his 68 points and 22 penalty minutes trail Matthews (104 points, 16 PIM), Elias Pettersson (87 points, 12 PIM) and Makar (84 points, 16 PIM). Cam Talbot also looked to be in the running for the Vezina Trophy until Los Angeles went 3-8-6 from Dec. 28-Jan. 31. Finally, there is Viktor Arvidsson, who is back from two serious injuries and has looked good in 14 games, but he faces strong competition from Zach Werenski, Andersen, Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Quick, among others, for the Masterton Trophy awarded to the player best exemplifying perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." -- Paul Strizhevsky, staff writer

15. New York Islanders (36-27-15)

Total points: 27
Last week: Unranked

"Noah Dobson is wrapping up a fantastic season. He became the second defenseman in Islanders history to have 60 assists in a season in a 4-2 win against the Rangers on Tuesday, joining Hall of Famer Denis Potvin. Dobson is tied with Adam Fox of the Rangers for sixth among players at his position with 70 points and tied with Hedman for ninth in average ice time (24:48). There is no shortage of talent at defensemen in the League, but Dobson should absolutely be in the Norris Trophy conversation. He is a big reason why New York could still be playing April 20." -- Brian Compton, managing editor

16. Pittsburgh Penguins (36-30-12)

Total points: 8
Last week: Unranked

"Crosby has driven the Penguins back into the playoff race. They looked done a month ago, like they were about to start playing out the string, but they're 6-0-3 in their past nine games with Crosby leading the way (17 points; seven goals, 10 assists). He won't win the Hart Trophy this season. That will likely be MacKinnon, Kucherov or McDavid, but he belongs in the conversation when you breakdown the actual definition of the award, which is "player adjudged to be the most valuable TO HIS TEAM." The last three words are in capitals to stress them. Crosby has 86 points (40 goals, 46 assists) in 78 games, 23 more than the next closest player on the Penguins (Evgeni Malkin, 63). Without Crosby, the Penguins might be talking about their odds to win the draft lottery. He will be the reason they're not in it if they can push for four more games and get into the playoffs." -- Rosen

Others receiving points: St. Louis Blues 7, Washington Capitals 2, Detroit Red Wings 1

Dropped out: Blues (No. 15), Capitals (No. 16)

New Amsterdam Game of the Week

Each week, NHL.com will highlight one game that features two teams in the Super 16. In this edition, it's No. 15 Islanders against the No. 1 Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360, TVAS).

It got spicy between the New York rivals in the Islanders' 4-2 win against the Rangers at UBS Arena on Tuesday. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette thought Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech intentionally elbowed or shouldered Rangers center Mika Zibanejad in the head. Islanders coach Patrick Roy was emphatic that it was accidental. Rangers center Vincent Trocheck was yelling at referee Kelly Sutherland at the end of the game, thinking Dobson's hit from behind should have been penalized. The Islanders need the win to continue their push for the playoffs. The Rangers need the win to try to secure first place in the Metropolitan Division, first in the Eastern Conference and potentially the Presidents' Trophy race. There's a lot on the line and they're rivals. It's a nationally televised game, an afternoon tilt. The Garden will be rocking. What a scene it'll be. -- Rosen

HERE'S HOW WE RANKED 'EM

AMALIE BENJAMIN

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Tampa Bay Lightning; 11. Nashville Predators; 12. Winnipeg Jets; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. New York Islanders

BRIAN COMPTON

1. New York Rangers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Vancouver Canucks; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Vegas Golden Knights; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Detroit Red Wings

NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA

1. New York Rangers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Edmonton Oilers; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. New York Islanders

TOM GULITTI

1. New York Rangers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Vancouver Canucks; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Toronto Maple Leafs; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Nashville Predators; 15. New York Islanders; 16. St. Louis Blues

ADAM KIMELMAN

1. New York Rangers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Vancouver Canucks; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Winnipeg Jets; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Carolina Hurricanes; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

MIKE G. MORREALE

1. Dallas Stars; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Vancouver Canucks; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Edmonton Oilers; 8. Toronto Maple Leafs; 9. Florida Panthers; 10. Winnipeg Jets; 11. Vegas Golden Knights; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Tampa Bay Lightning; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. St. Louis Blues; 16. New York Islanders

TRACEY MYERS

1. New York Rangers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Florida Panthers; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. Vegas Golden Knights; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

BILL PRICE

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Carolina Hurricanes; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Colorado Avalanche; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Washington Capitals

SHAWN P. ROARKE

1. Dallas Stars; 2. Colorado Avalanche; 3. New York Rangers; 4. Carolina Hurricanes; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Florida Panthers; 7. Nashville Predators; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Vancouver Canucks; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. Los Angeles Kings; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. New York Islanders

DAN ROSEN

1. Dallas Stars; 2. New York Rangers; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Winnipeg Jets; 8. Vancouver Canucks; 9. Tampa Bay Lightning; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Florida Panthers; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Pittsburgh Penguins; 16. Los Angeles Kings

DAVID SATRIANO

1. New York Rangers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Colorado Avalanche; 5. Boston Bruins; 6. Vancouver Canucks; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Edmonton Oilers; 10. Toronto Maple Leafs; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Nashville Predators; 13. Los Angeles Kings; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Vegas Golden Knights; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

PAUL STRIZHEVSKY

1. New York Rangers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Carolina Hurricanes; 4. Boston Bruins; 5. Vancouver Canucks; 6. Colorado Avalanche; 7. Florida Panthers; 8. Winnipeg Jets; 9. Toronto Maple Leafs; 10. Edmonton Oilers; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Los Angeles Kings; 13. Nashville Predators; 14. Vegas Golden Knights; 15. New York Islanders; 16. Pittsburgh Penguins

DEREK VAN DIEST

1. New York Rangers; 2. Dallas Stars; 3. Boston Bruins; 4. Vancouver Canucks; 5. Edmonton Oilers; 6. Carolina Hurricanes; 7. Colorado Avalanche; 8. Florida Panthers; 9. Winnipeg Jets; 10. Nashville Predators; 11. Tampa Bay Lightning; 12. Toronto Maple Leafs; 13. Vegas Golden Knights; 14. New York Islanders; 15. Los Angeles Kings; 16. Washington Capitals