Here are the season-ending fantasy hockey awards. It is so easy to argue whether some choices could go elsewhere, but that’s the beauty of these awards. All stats are through the end of the season.
Fantasy Hockey MVP: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
This was a very tight race as Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov and Leon Draisaitl all deserved consideration. There are not many times a goaltender is considered the top fantasy choice, but Hellebuyck’s season was so superior, it could not be overlooked. He led the NHL in wins with 47, goals-against-average (2.00), shutouts with eight and tied for the league lead in games played with 63. He finished second to Anthony Stolarz in save percentage, only .001 behind Stolarz’s .926. Had I selected a forward, it is likely I would have picked Leon Draisaitl, who led the NHL in goals with 51.
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Hellebuyck was the best goaltender from start to finish. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jake Oettinger put together high-end seasons, but nothing like what we saw from Hellebuyck, who should easily take home the Vezina Trophy this season.
Sleeper of the Year: Pierre-Luc Dubois, Washington Capitals
Dubois had a horrible 2023-24 campaign, scoring 16 times and adding 24 assists in 82 regular-season games with Los Angeles. He was dealt in the offseason to Washington, where he had a career high 65 points, as well as 76 PIM and 13 points on the power play. Teammate Logan Thompson led most of the season for this award, but he slumped late (the fantasy playoffs for many), finishing 0-2-1, allowing 13 goals on 59 shots before suffering an upper-body injury April 2 and missing the final seven games of the season.
Fantasy Hockey Bust of the Year: Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthews didn’t have a bad season, just not one you would expect from a top five pick in fantasy pools. Matthews was spectacular last season with 69 goals and 38 assists in 81 games. This season he was held back by an upper-body injury that cost him 15 games. He had only 33 goals in 67 games, a huge drop from last season. He was red-hot through portions of the season, but that did not make up for his draft position.
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Another bust was Roman Josi, who had nine goals and 38 points in 53 games before missing the final 25 contests with an upper-body injury. He had 85 points last season and was likely a second or third-round selection in most drafts.
MVD: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Makar beat out Zach Werenski of the Blue Jackets for the top spot. Makar…