Aleksander Barkov, Anthony Cirelli and Sam Reinhart were named finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy on Friday.
The winner of the award, which is given annually to the NHL forward voted best to excel in the defensive aspects of the game as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, will be announced at a later date.
Barkov had 71 points (20 goals, 51 assists) in 67 games and ranked second among Florida Panthers forwards with 20:15 of ice time per game, including 3:17 on the power play and 1:31 on the penalty kill. The 29-year-old center won 56.5 percent of face-offs (580 of 1,026), was second on the team in takeaways (34) and tied for third among forwards on the team with 54 blocked shots. Barkov led the Panthers and was tied for fifth in the NHL (minimum 40 games played) in shot attempts percentage, with Florida taking 59.3 percent of all attempts when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. Barkov was second on the Panthers with four short-handed points (one goal, three assists).
He helped the Panthers (47-31-4) finish third in the Atlantic Division and clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth straight season.
A finalist for the fourth time in five seasons, Barkov won the award last season and in 2020-21, and finished third in 2021-22.
"Both are very talented men, but they're not going to cheat the game for the offensive payoff," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of Barkov and Reinhart. "They certainly produce for us, but their mindset is to play the game the right way. If there is an offensive play there, they're going to make it and be smart about. They are great examples for our players."
Cirelli had 59 points (27 goals, 32 assists) in 80 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. He took 1,292 face-offs, including 147 while short-handed, second most on the team. His 72 blocked shots led Lightning forwards, and his 21 takeaways were fourth. The 27-year-old center averaged 18:41 of ice time per game, including 2:03 short-handed to help the team's penalty kill rank sixth in the NHL (81.6 percent). Cirelli had an SAT percentage of 54.2.
Cirelli helped the Lightning (47-27-8) earn a postseason berth for the eighth consecutive season. He is a first-time finalist, having finished in the top five twice (fourth, 2019-20; fifth, 2021-22) and would be the first Lightning player to win the award.
"This has been a long time coming for him," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "To have the year he's had, especially on the offensive side, the defensive side we never really had to worry about, he's had such a tough assignment because most nights, he's checking the other team's best lines. But to have the point production he did while still doing that ... you can't say enough about that.
"Finally he's getting some recognition he's deserved because there's been a group of guys in that award that have kind of hogged it. And they've hogged it for a reason -- because they're really really good. So for Cirelli to be in that group of players is richly deserved, but sometimes with these awards, you have to wait for your time. He consistently played with his heart on his sleeve and now he's getting rewarded for it."
Reinhart led the Panthers in goals (39) and points (81) in 79 games, also leading their forwards in ice time per game (20:30). That included 3:15 with the man-advantage and 1:34 while short-handed. He was tied for third in the NHL with five short-handed goals. The 29-year-old center was third on the Panthers with an SAT percentage of 57.6 and led their forwards with 62 blocked shots to go along with 24 takeaways. He also was relied upon in close games to protect leads and had five empty-net points with the opponent's goalie pulled for an extra skater.
"They are amazing on both sides of the ice," Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said of his teammates. "Reinhart scored 57 goals last year, and this year, he is a Selke nominee. It doesn't happen often that the same guy can score goals, defend, do everything. Same goes for Barkov; he is so deep, has unbelievable skills and is great all around. I have said this many times: If you put him in goal, he is going to do great. I am happy for the guys, and they are deserving. We are lucky to have them."
A first-time finalist, Reinhart finished fourth in Selke voting last season, when he scored a career-best 57 goals, finishing second in the NHL behind Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (69).
The finalists for the Jack Adams Award (coach of the year), Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly conduct, playing ability) will be announced later Friday. Finalists for the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) will be announced Monday.
NHL.com independent correspondents Corey Long and George Richards contributed to this report
