As the 2020-21 NHL regular season comes to a close this week, it’s time to start thinking about awards.
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association will soon be sent their ballots for the Hart, Norris, Calder, Lady Byng, and Selke Trophies, as well as the the NHL All-Star and All-Rookie Teams. (General managers vote for the Vezina Trophy and the NHL Broadcasters’ Association votes on the Jack Adams Award.)
The finalists and results will be announced later this summer on a date determined by the NHL.
On Monday, the PHWA announced the 31 nominees for the 2020-21 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is given to the players “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
The 31 nominees are selected by each PHWA chapter.
All 31 Masterton Trophy nominees
Anaheim Ducks: David Backes
Arizona Coyotes: Phil Kessel
Boston Bruins: Kevan Miller
Buffalo Sabres: Dustin Tokarski
Calgary Flames: Milan Lucic
Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal
Chicago Blackhawks: Andrew Shaw
Colorado Avalanche: Valeri Nichushkin
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zac Dalpe
Dallas Stars: Roope Hintz
Detroit Red Wings: Danny DeKeyser
Edmonton Oilers: Mike Smith
Florida Panthers: Chris Driedger
Los Angeles Kings: Matt Roy
Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba
Montreal Canadiens: Corey Perry
Nashville Predators: Pekka Rinne
New Jersey Devils: Scott Wedgewood
New York Islanders: Casey Cizikas
New York Rangers: Colin Blackwell
Ottawa Senators: Nick Paul
Philadelphia Flyers: Oskar Lindblom
Pittsburgh Penguins: Casey DeSmith
St. Louis Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko
San Jose Sharks: Patrick Marleau
Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos
Toronto Maple Leafs: Jack Campbell
Vancouver Canucks: Tyler Motte
Vegas Golden Knights: Marc-Andre Fleury
Washington Capitals: Zdeno Chara
Winnipeg Jets: Eric Comrie
Bobby Ryan was the 2019-20 winner following his battle with alcohol and dramatic return to the ice where he recorded a hat trick in his first game back in Ottawa.
Lindblom and Miller are their team’s nominees for the second straight season. The Flyers forward is a favorite for the award after returning to play last summer following his cancer diagnosis.
Other players with stories that could be worthy of Masterton votes include Campbell and his play this season in Toronto; Miller for his return from a serious knee injury; Driedger for establishing himself after spending most of his career in the minors; and Marleau for his dedication to the game.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.