The 2026–27 National Hockey League season is finally upon us, signaling the return of high-stakes hockey, intense divisional battles, and, of course, pre-season speculation. As fans and analysts alike ready themselves for another grueling 82-game campaign, the debate over who will hoist the league’s most prestigious silverware at season’s end is already heating up.
Following a comprehensive look at how the league’s four divisions are projected to play out, senior digital correspondent Adam Proteau turns his attention to the individual hardware. Projecting NHL award winners before a single puck has dropped in the regular season is an exercise in both educated guessing and looking at underlying trajectories. While these predictions are designed to spark healthy debate and lively discussion rather than serve as guaranteed locks, they offer a fascinating glimpse into where the momentum lies across the league.
With the stage set for an unpredictable and thrilling year of professional hockey, here is a detailed breakdown of the projected individual award winners for the 2026–27 NHL season.
Hart Memorial Trophy
Winner: Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks)
The race for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team, is always fiercely contested. For the 2026–27 season, Proteau points toward the San Jose Sharks’ rising superstar, Macklin Celebrini, as the player poised to claim the ultimate individual honor.
With a rapidly growing supporting cast of talented young, up-and-coming stars surrounding him in San Jose, Celebrini is projected to be more dominant on the ice than ever before. The immense hype that has followed him since his junior and collegiate days is well-documented, and according to these pre-season projections, he has earned every bit of it. If this prediction holds true, this Hart Trophy will merely be the first of what is expected to be multiple MVP awards over a glittering career.
Vezina Trophy
Winner: Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild)
Projecting a goaltender to win the Vezina Trophy—given to the league’s best netminder as voted by the general managers—often requires looking beyond standard sample sizes. At just 23 years of age and with only 40 regular-season NHL games under his belt, Jesper Wallstedt might seem like an unconventional pick to some observers.
However, a closer look at his individual numbers from last season reveals a strong harbinger of better days ahead. Wallstedt posted a stellar .911 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average, metrics that indicate he is more than ready to shoulder a heavier load. The Minnesota Wild enter the 2026–27 campaign poised to take the next competitive step in their organizational trajectory, and Wallstedt is expected to play a monumental role in that push.
The situation in Minnesota carries some immediate urgency as well. Tandem-mate Filip Gustavsson is set to begin the regular season sidelined by an injury, opening the door wide for Wallstedt. Given his demonstrated ability to carry a team on his back, the young Swedish goaltender is primed to seize the opportunity and be rewarded with the Vezina Trophy at season’s end.
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Finalists: Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche), Quinn Hughes (Minnesota Wild), Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars)
Winner: Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars)
The competition for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position, features a compelling mix of established excellence and prime-era brilliance. While elite defensemen Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes already boast Norris Trophies on their respective résumés, Dallas Stars stalwart Miro Heiskanen enters the 2026–27 season still chasing his first career selection as the league’s top defenseman.
At 27 years old, Heiskanen has firmly entered the prime years of his career. Last season, the Finnish blue-liner successfully bounced back from an injury-marred 2024–25 campaign by putting up 54 assists and 63 total points across 77 regular-season games.
The Dallas Stars will once again rely heavily on Heiskanen to anchor their backend and drive transition play, and all indications suggest they are going to get another elite performance from him. While Hughes and Makar will undoubtedly be right in the mix as finalists once again, Heiskanen’s exceptional two-way game has long demanded recognition. This season, he is projected to finally receive that validation by capturing his first career Norris Trophy.
Calder Memorial Trophy
Winner: McKenna
When evaluating rookie talent for the Calder Memorial Trophy, analysts often caution against overthinking the process. For the 2026–27 season, the most logical choice for top rookie is the player selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft: McKenna.
Entering the league with the Toronto Maple Leafs, McKenna is bound to experience the typical developmental ups and downs that face any teenager adjusting to the speed and physicality of the NHL. Nevertheless, he is expected to be given every chance to succeed under the bright lights of the organization. Even within the white-hot spotlight of hockey’s most demanding and intense media market, McKenna is projected to adapt quickly—just as he successfully did during his standout developmental stints in the Western Hockey League and the collegiate ranks of the NCAA.
While fellow standout rookies like Stenberg and Martone are expected to give him a serious run for his money in the voting, McKenna’s elite playmaking abilities and offensive instincts should ultimately shine through, securing him the Calder Trophy.
Art Ross Trophy
Finalists: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks), Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
Winner: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
There is a clear statistical precedent for why Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid remains the perennial favorite for the Art Ross Trophy, awarded annually to the player who leads the league in scoring points. Having captured four of the past six Art Ross Trophies, McDavid produces offensive numbers with a consistency and explosiveness that has rarely been seen in hockey history. Barring unforeseen circumstances, there is little reason to bet against him extending his dominance.
At the same time, teammate and fellow superstar Leon Draisaitl remains firmly entrenched in the Art Ross conversation. Draisaitl demonstrated his elite scoring pedigree by generating 97 points despite appearing in only 65 games last season. However, as long as McDavid remains healthy through the 82-game schedule, his unmatched offensive output makes him the heavy favorite to secure the seventh Art Ross Trophy of his staggering professional career.
Meanwhile, young San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini is viewed as a rising challenger who could one day vault past the dynamic Edmonton duo to capture an Art Ross of his own, but for the 2026–27 campaign, the crown remains firmly in McDavid’s sights.
Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy
Finalists: Kirill Kaprizov (Minnesota Wild), Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Cole Caufield (Montreal Canadiens)
Winner: Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
The race for the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, given annually to the league’s leading goal-scorer, features some of the game’s most lethal finishers. During the three separate seasons in which Auston Matthews captured the award, he racked up an astonishing 170 goals—a total that would have been even higher had the NHL not dealt with a COVID-shortened schedule at one point in his career.
Some skeptics may question whether Matthews can fully bounce back from an uncharacteristic, injury-plagued 2025–26 season that saw him limited to just 27 goals in 60 games. However, Toronto Maple Leafs management has made it clear they view that difficult campaign as a temporary anomaly for their captain. Proteau’s projections side firmly with Toronto’s perspective. Fully healthy and visibly determined to make amends for lost time, Matthews is projected to rediscover his supreme scoring touch and capture the fourth Rocket Richard Trophy of his illustrious career.
Jack Adams Award
Finalists: Ryan Warsofsky (San Jose Sharks), Martin St-Louis (Montreal Canadiens), Rod Brind’Amour (Carolina Hurricanes)
Winner: Martin St-Louis (Montreal Canadiens)
The Jack Adams Award, presented annually to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success, often highlights bench bosses who elevate their rosters beyond expectations. Martin St-Louis put together a legendary Hall of Fame playing career—earning his induction in 2018—before seamlessly transitioning behind the bench as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.
After guiding the storied franchise all the way to the Eastern Conference final last season, St-Louis enters the 2026–27 campaign with even higher aspirations. Proteau projects that the 51-year-old coach will steer the Canadiens to a first-place finish in the notoriously competitive Atlantic Division.
While the Jack Adams voting can occasionally lean toward a lifetime achievement recognition, St-Louis is positioned to prove for the second consecutive season that he is simply a phenomenal modern bench boss, earning him his first career Jack Adams Award and cementing Montreal’s return to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.