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Listen, the NHL Awards are usually a painfully awkward affair, with poorly written jokes (God bless last year’s host, Jon Hamm, for soldering through that mess), occasionally funny sketches, and really terrible speeches by sports personalities best known for not having personalities.
But you guys want to watch tonight. Why? It’s the expansion draft for the Vegas Golden Knights, so we all need to be prepared to bid one of our Blues adieu. Also, Vladimir Tarasenko is in the running for the Lady Byng.
Here’s a quick run-down of what to expect tonight:
How to watch the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft & NHL Awards
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT | Wednesday, June 21
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
American TV: NBCSN | Canadian TV: Sportsnet
Live streaming on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app
2017 NHL Expansion Draft Rules
- Vegas will take one player — no more, or no less — from each existing team.
- They must select at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies.
- 20 of the 30 players must be under contract in 2017-18.
- The cap hit of all players selected in the Expansion Draft must be somewhere between $43.8 million and $73 million.
2017 NHL Awards Finalists
- Hart Trophy (league MVP): Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Sergei Bobrovsky.
- Norris Trophy (best defenseman): Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman
- Vezina Trophy (best goaltender): Sergei Bobrovsky, Braden Holtby, Carey Price.
- Calder Trophy (top rookie): Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski.
- Selke Trophy (best defensive forward): Ryan Kesler, Patrice Bergeron, Mikko Koivu.
- Lady Byng Trophy (most gentlemanly forward): Johnny Gaudreau, Vladimir Tarasenko, Mikael Granlund.
- Masterton Trophy (dedication / perseverance): Craig Anderson, Andrew Cogliano, Derek Ryan.
- NHL Foundation Award (community service): Wayne Simmonds, Travis Hamonic.
- Mark Messier Leadership Award: Nick Foligno, Ryan Getzlaf, Mark Giordano.
- Ted Lindsay Award (MVP as voted by the players): Brent Burns, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid.
- Jack Adams Award (best coach): Mike Babcock, Todd McLellan, John Tortorella.
- General Manager of the Year: Peter Chiarelli, Pierre Dorion, David Poile.
2017 NHL Awards Odds (via Bovada)
- Hart: Connor McDavid (2/13), Sidney Crosby (4/1), Sergei Bobrovsky (11/1).
- Norris: Brent Burns (1/5), Erik Karlsson (5/2), Victor Hedman (25/1).
- Vezina: Sergei Bobrovsky (1/4), Braden Holtby (11/5), Carey Price (22/1).
- Calder: Auston Matthews (1/20), Patrik Laine (11/2), Zach Werenski (18/1).
- Selke: Ryan Kesler (5/7), Patrice Bergeron (7/4), Mikko Koivu (15/4).
- Lady Byng: Johnny Gaudreau (1/1), Vladimir Tarasenko (1/1), Mikael Granlund (4/1).
- Jack Adams: Ryan Kesler (5/7), Patrice Bergeron (7/4), Mikko Koivu (15/4).