Artemi Panarin Favorite For Calder Trophy, But Connor McDavid Still Has Chance

BOSTON — The current favorite for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie wasn’t even in the discussion when season began.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel, the first and second overall picks in the 2015 NHL Draft, respectively, were expected to run away from the  pack and duel for the Calder all season.

However, as McDavid missed a chunk of games with an upper body injury and with Eichel not being as dominant as predicted, a different forward has emerged. Artemi Panarin, a 24-year-old left winger who came over from the KHL, has joined forces with Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane on the NHL’s best line.

“He’s been fun to watch. A real special kid,” Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said of Panarin. “We’re fortunate getting him and watching him evolve and play with Kaner. That line all year has been a big part of our team’s success.

“It carried us for big portions in the first half of the season, but these two guys individually can wow you with their movement on the ice with the puck, and then their playmaking with each other as well. We’re lucky to get a guy like (Panarin).”

Panarin leads all rookies in scoring with 59 points in 64 games. He also tops all first-year players with 24 goals and 35 assists and ranks second in power-play points with 16.

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Still, there are two arguments against Panarin winning the Calder.

One is that he’s 24 years old and a more developed player than an 18-year-old like McDavid. That’s true, and he did five straight seasons of 40-plus games in the KHL before coming to Chicago, but he’s eligible for the Calder, so he deserves a fair look.

The other argument is that his stats are inflated by playing with Kane, who leads the league in scoring with 88 points. Playing with Kane undoubtedly helps, but to be fair to Panarin, his high-end skill would create scoring chances regardless of which players are on his line. Kane is having a career year with Panarin, so it certainly works both ways.

At this stage, the only way Panarin doesn’t win the Calder is if McDavid goes on an insane scoring spree over the next month and a half. It’s hard to imagine McDavid ever catching Panarin’s points total — the Oilers star has 31 — but if his points per game is high enough, voters might change their minds.

McDavid currently has a 1.11 to 0.94 edge in points per game over Panarin. That’s not a wide enough gap for McDavid to steal first-place votes, especially when Panarin has been so consistent offensively.

McDavid is and will be a better player than Panarin long term, but for the Calder, the Blackhawks forward is the best choice right now.

Thumbnail photo via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images