Which underappreciated rookies deserved a Calder Trophy nomination?
The Calder Trophy finalists list was released this week, featuring Seattle’s Matty Beniers, Buffalo’s Owen Power and Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner.
Every year, fans are always up in arms about why their rookie didn’t make the cut. Today on Daily Faceoff Live, Frank Seravalli and Chicago Blackhawks analyst Colby Cohen took a look at which underappreciated rookies deserved a better look.
Frank Seravalli: Colby, my question for you as the Calder Trophy finalists were announced Wednesday for Rookie of the Year, which includes Beniers, Power and Skinner. Is there an under-appreciated rookie in your mind, someone who didn’t get enough love this year?
Colby Cohen: Yeah, I picked a guy by the name of Wyatt Johnston. I think he’s somewhat flying under the radar in Dallas; he’s got a bunch of star players in front of him, with guys like Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. So I’m not sure Johnston gets the hype that some of these rookies get. This is a 19-year-old 2021 first-round pick who scored 24 goals in the regular season this year. He played all 82 games, which is difficult to do as a rookie, and he’s played every game in the playoffs so far. The fact that he’s been able to play the Center position and Frank, when do you see an 18 or 19-year-old come into the league and play Center right away? So often, players break in on the wing as coaches don’t trust them defensively. To see Johnston playing on the second and third line feels to me like he’s a guy who is underrated and probably not talked about quite enough.
Frank Seravalli: The Johnston answer is a good one; he factored into my Calder ballot for sure. He’s also the youngest player in the last 30 years to score a series-clinching goal like he did for the Stars in round one; he’s been incredibly impressive. I’m going to say one guy who didn’t get enough love is Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators. He played 22 minutes a night and registered 32 points as a 20-year-old. I thought that was an impressive season and what’s most exciting for the Senators there.
You can watch the full episode here…