This year’s race for the Calder Trophy—awarded to the best rookie playing in the NHL—is one of the best in living memory. By my count, there are eight rookies having seasons that, in lesser years, would get them legitimate Calder buzz. It’s been an extraordinary season.
Even rarer, there are multiple Leafs in competition for the award. No Leaf has won the Calder Trophy since Brit Selby in 1966. The Leafs as a whole have struggled mightily to win any individual awards in the past 50 years—the only Toronto skaters to take home individual trophies were Doug Gilmour (1993 Selke) and Alexander Mogilny (2003 Lady Byng.