New York Islanders 2018-19 NHL Trophy Candidates

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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 22: Ryan Pulock #6 of the New York Islanders celebrates his powerplay goal at 10:24 of the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Barclays Center on March 22, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Honorable Mentions

Honorable mentions are players that have trophy potential in 2018-19 but are longshots to make it. They’re players who under perfect circumstances could get a trophy.

Ryan Pulock – Norris Trophy

Ryan Pulock took significant leaps as a player and a defender last season. He was able to go from the Islanders scratch pad at the start of the season, to the teams second best all-around defender.

His 32 points in 2017-18 are nowhere near the return that will get a defender in the Norris conversation. But that’s last year. Another year of growth and development will increase that yield in 2018-19.

With his overall defensive play, his impact on the power play, as well as the increased minutes that will undoubtedly be coming his way it’s possible to see Pulock return 50-60 points in 2018-19. That kind of production gets you in the Norris conversation.

Anders Lee – Maurice Richard Trophy

In 2017-18 Anders Lee was one of eight players to score 40 or more goals in the NHL. Only nine goals behind league leader Alex Ovechkin. Can Lee score 50 goals in 2018-19? Maybe, but the circumstances have to be perfect.

With 74 goals in the last two seasons, teams will be wise to Anders Lee and his tactics. He may not be as efficient as he was. But then again, who says teams didn’t do that in 2017-18? And look how that worked.

In front of the net, Lee is next to impossible to contain. And his hand-eye coordination is on a whole other level. If the conditions are right and Lee gets the right service in front of the net, a fifty goal season isn’t too far off.