NHL announces finalists for Selke Trophy
The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded annually to the NHL forward, who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA) following the regular season. The award is named after Frank J. Selke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
The NHL announced its three finalists Tuesday morning:
Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins led the NHL in faceoff wins with 991 for the seventh time in his career and posted the top win percentage of 61.9%. He also led the league in the puck possession metric SAT% with 65.1. This means he accounted for 65.1% of all shot attempts 5-on-5 when he was on the ice. (the best figure by any player since the statistic was first recorded in 2009-10). Bergeron is a Selke Trophy finalist for the 11th straight season, extending his own record, and is looking to win the award for the fifth time in his career.
Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers led all forwards on the 2021-22 his team in average ice time per game with 20:18, marking the fifth consecutive season he has led the team and surpassed the 20-minute average. The Panthers captain also ranked fourth among NHL forwards with a career-best +36 rating. He also topped Florida in face-offs with 1,252 and face-off wins 713 for a career-best 57.0% win percentage. Barkov won Selke Trophy last season and wants to join Bergeron (2014 and 2015) as a repeat winner.
Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames posted a +61 rating in 82 games, behind only linemate Johnny Gaudreau (+64) as the NHL's best in the past 34 years. He led Flames' forwards in blocked shots with 52, takeaways with 55, time on ice with 19:57 per game and average time while shorthanded at 2:07. He ranked third overall in total face-offs with 1,592 and fifth in face-off wins with 842 for a 52.9% win percentage. This is Lindholm's first time as a finalist for the award.
MY PICK: Patrice Bergeron
And here's why:
