The NHL Awards opened on Wednesday night and Flyers fans didn't have to wait long to find out if their rookie phenom was the rookie of the year. Unfortunately, there was one player that won over voters more than Shayne Gostisbehere.
Artemi Panarin won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. Gostisbehere came in second. Connor McDavid rounded out the group of three finalists finishing in third.
Panarin ran away with the voting, getting 88 first-place votes and finishing with 1,258 points. Gostisbehere had 955 points and picked up 33 first-place votes. No Flyer has ever won the Calder as the league's best rookie.
Gostisbehere scored 17 goals and added 29 assists for 46 points in 64 games. Since his callup on Nov. 13, the Flyers season greatly turned and the rookie defenseman was a key player in a run to the playoffs.
His rookie season featured many milestones, including setting a Flyers rookie record for defensemen with 17 goals and setting an NHL rookie record for a defenseman by recording a point in 15 straight games. In the playoffs, Gostisbehere scored one goal and added one assists for two points in the Flyers six-game series against the Washington Capitals.
Panarin stormed into the league playing alongside the likes of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews for the then defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. He scored 30 goals and added 47 assists for 77 points in 80 games. He also averaged a point per game in the playoffs, scoring two goals and adding five assists in Chicago's seven-game series loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Gostisbehere was also named to the NHL's All-Rookie team, along with Panarin, McDavid, Jack Eichel, Colton Parayko and John Gibson.
Other award winners at the NHL's awards ceremony were as follows.
Masterton Award: Jaromir Jagr, Florida Panthers
Jack Adams Award: Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals
GM of the Year: Jim Rutherford, Pittsburgh Penguins
Norris Trophy: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
Lady Byng Trophy: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
Vezina Trophy: Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Selke Memorial Trophy: Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
Ted Lindsay Award: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Hart Memorial Trophy: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
There were several Flyers who cracked the voting, albeit well out of the running for finalists. Dave Hakstol finished ninth in the Jack Adams voting, receiving two second-place votes and four third-place votes. Ron Hextall finished ninth in GM of the Year voting, receiving one second-place vote. Claude Giroux finished 16th in Hart voting, receiving one third-place vote and one fifth-place vote. Sean Couturier finished eighth in the Selke voting, receiving one second-place vote and two third-place votes. Gostisbehere finished 17th in Norris voting, receiving one fourth-place vote.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
