MRKL on Ice: January Part 2 (Awards)

Snapshot of the standings as of Feb 1st:

HART

Awarded to the offensive player with the greatest point share for his team for the month (I think I have to amend this to include on players on teams currently in playoff spots)

Winner: TJ Oshie 14.4% (WBS Parkers)

Runners Up:  Jonathan Tavares 13.9% (Teeyotes) and Alexander Steen 13.4% (Dicklas Lidstroms)

NORRIS

Awarded to the defenseman with the greatest PPG for the month (minimum 5 games)

Winner: Kris Letang 1.45 (Patrik Stefans) 

Runners up: Dustin Byfuglien 1.00 (Teeyotes) and Kevin Shattenkirk 1.00 (G-Phil's Flyers)

CALDER

Awarded to the NHL rookie with the greatest PPG for the month (minimum 5 games)

Winner: John Klingberg 1.00 (not owned and ineligible for free agency) 

Runners up: Mark Stone 0.92 (Teeyotes) and Richard Rackell 0.82 (not owned and ineligible for free agency)

Denton's paralegal Chantal Vezina

VEZINA

Awarded to the goalie with the most KL points in the month

Winner: Braden Holtby 23 (Los Amjawors Kings)

Runners-up: Semyon Varlamov 22 (Quebec Rordiques) and Carey Price 21 (Schizzarks) and Frederik Andersen 21 (Faajarvis)

BENNING

Awarded to the GM who made the best moves of the month overall

Winner: A helluva lot more went on in January than in months prior. In fact, going by the transaction ledger, there have been 16 official moves made to start 2015, which is three more than November and December combined. And while these moves can't truly be assessed until the end of the season, we can draw some early conclusions. No team has benefited by greater than 4 points from its January transactions. Of course, when the dust settles, the difference between hoisting the Krusell Cup and not could easily be single digits, and these moves could end up being crucial. I'm not so convinced, however, that any GM's decisions in January will prove to be difference makers. So considering all of that, and considering too what futures and draft positions were mortgaged, the winner for this month goes to GM of the Milan Micahleks, who stood pat and patiently watched as stalwarts like Rask, Benn, and Pominville finally began to round into form.

Runners up: Benefitting from the arms race of the past 31 days were three GMs of note. The Quebec Rordiques' GM Mr. Johnston managed to ratchet up his tanking pursuits, while acquiring 1st and 2nd round picks in the process. Rory now has six picks within the first 32 of the 2015 draft, and will likely be done filling out his scoring roster before GM of the Vanrooser Canicks arrives (when given the opportunity to call out a scapegoat in matters of tardiness, I have no choice but to take it). Of course, that scoring roster may only amass 600 pts.

Also coming out ahead are two GMs who made good on the opportunity to grab first round picks. GM of the Schizzarks somehow procured one for future holdout Cody Franson, while GM of the Moilers did one better, not only securing a first rounder for Daniel "half the twin he used to be" Sedin, but also obtaining highly touted Evgeny Kuznetsov.  

PREYDE-KIRSHENBLAT

Awarded to the GM who made the most disgraceful move of the month

Winner: In prior posts, I have been overly self-congratulatory for some of my maneuvers. It's only fair that I take seriously my reconnaissance of early feedback, and admit that I may have made an egregious mistake in parting ways with Domi, Saad and a 1st because of the tantalizing allure of the Magic Man and the fantasy that he will wave his wand all the way to the Krusell Cup. The move is clearly defensible, but in light of what many might consider an unnecessary introduction of risk, I award yours truly, GM of the Patrik Stefans, the Preyde-Kirshenblat dishonour of the month. In making this award, I further factored in my frustratingly unfocussed negotiating practices of the past week.

Runner up: Not to be completely overlooked, GM of the Powder Rangers needs some calling out. Yes, his strategy clearly morphed somewhere between considering the Kopitar deal and pulling the trigger on it, but after running the numbers it must be pointed out that this team would be 31 points better and in a race for the playoffs had its GM been in a coma for the last 6 weeks. Some of the casualties in addition to Kopitar include Ryan Miller, David Backes, and Chris Kunitz. And in return? Well, two 5th round picks were both tapped up to 3rd rounders, he got a guy that can't do a chin-up, he doesn't know what to do with all his prospects, and he now inhabits the seat I warmed for two seasons in 12th place. If he wins the McDavid lottery, I will retract this runner-up designation during the draft, at the same time that I watch him enjoy the steak that I still owe him. Until then, chin-up.