As the 2021-22 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 be sent their ballots for the Hart, Norris, Calder, Lady Byng, and Selke Trophies this week, 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 2022 NHL Awards show will take place between Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in the city where those two games will be played.
On Monday, the PHWA announced the 32 nominees for the 2021-22 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is given to the players “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
The 32 nominees are selected by each PHWA chapter.
All 32 Masterton Trophy nominees
Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf
Arizona Coyotes: Andrew Ladd
Boston Bruins: Jake DeBrusk
Buffalo Sabres: Kyle Okposo
Calgary Flames: Chris Tanev
Carolina Hurricanes: Antti Raanta
Chicago Blackhawks: Dylan Strome
Colorado Avalanche: Jack Johnson
Columbus Blue Jackets: Justin Danforth
Dallas Stars: Tyler Seguin
Detroit Red Wings: Marc Staal
Edmonton Oilers: Kris Russell
Florida Panthers: Anthony Duclair
Los Angeles Kings: Blake Lizotte
Minnesota Wild: Jared Spurgeon
Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price
Nashville Predators: Mark Borowiecki
New Jersey Devils: Nico Hischier
New York Islanders: Zdeno Chara
New York Rangers: Chris Kreider
Ottawa Senators: Anton Forsberg
Philadelphia Flyers: Kevin Hayes
Pittsburgh Penguins: Brian Boyle
St. Louis Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko
San Jose Sharks: Brent Burns
Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz
Tampa Bay Lightning: Alex Killorn
Toronto Maple Leafs: Ondrej Kase
Vancouver Canucks: Luke Schenn
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
Washington Capitals: Nicklas Backstrom
Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey
Oskar Lindblom of the Flyers was the 2020-21 winner following his return from battling Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
Chara and Tarasenko are the only nominees who were up for the award last season.
There are plenty of good stories in the 2022 group. Kyle Okposo and his play since coming back from concussion issues; Andrew Ladd reaching 1,000 NHL games after a tough last few seasons; Justin Danforth’s road to a spot on the Blue Jackets; and Carey Price and Kevin Hayes among those coming back from major injuries.
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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.