Who would take home the hardware? What would the requirements be?

Here would be my nominees for the Award (1 forward, 1 defenseman and 1 Goalie), which would go to the player being on the NHL roster for 60 games (0r 80%) the previous season (40 games for goaltenders) who showed the most improvement in the League:

Jiri Tlusty, CAR – With 17 goals and 36 points in 79 games last year, Tlusty has passed that goal total (21) and almost matched the point total (35) in just 46 games this season. He was part of the Hurricane’s top line with Alexander Semin and Erik Staal for most of the season and his year really came out of left field.

Ray Emery, CHI – Splitting the starter’s job with Chicago, Emery had the goal support of a strong team around him, but you can’t argue with his 17-1-0 record along with 1.94 GAA and .922 SP.  It is the most wins Emery has had since the Stanley Cup Final year of the Ottawa Senators in 2006-07.

Cody Franson, TOR – The blueliner has become a very important (and under-rated) piece of the Maple Leafs.  Franson has gone from often being a healthy scratch last season to the 6th leading scorer among all NHL defensemen.  His 28 points in 43 games this season is one off his career high set in 2010-11 with the Predators (in 80 games).

AND THE WINNER IS:

April 2, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jiri Tlusty (19) checks the Washington Capitals defensemen Mike Green (52) into the boards at the PNC center. The Capitals defeated the Hurricanes 5-3. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Jiri Tlusy.  His impact on the team is arguably more than hightly touted acquisitions Alexander Semin and Jordan Staal had on the Hurricanes, he just needed to be in the right situation.  Nobody would have thought that the right situation would have been first line minutes.  He leads the team in both goals and +/- so his impact has been felt at both ends of the ice.  His +17 rating is the highest of any player not on a playoff bound team.

Apr 9, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery (30) makes a save on Minnesota Wild forward Jason Pominville (29) and forward Kyle Brodziak (21) during the third period at the Xcel Energy Center. The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Flyers scored first, courtesy of Jakub Voracek, but it was all Islanders after that as New York moved into a 6th place tie with Ottawa after the 4-1 win.  New York’s top line of John Tavares, Matt Moulson and Brad Boyes combined for 2 goals and 6 points, with Tavares and Moulson scoring.Michael Grabner and Casey Cizikas had the others, to pretty much end any playoff hopes the Flyers might have been harboring.
2. Pittsburgh got goals from 5 different players in their 5-2 win over Carolina to extend their Eastern Conference lead to 5 points over the Canadiens.  Robert Bortuzzo, Brenden Morrow, Beau Bennett, Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis scored for the Penguins, with Joe Corvo and Riley Nash counting for the Canes.
3. Washington stayed 2 points up on the Jets with a 3-2 win over the Canadiens.  Alex Ovechkin scored again, with grinders Eric Fehr and Jack Hillen also scoring.  Lars Eller had both Montreal goals, as they failed to gain ground on the Bruins, who are still just a point back in the Northeast Division.
4. Winnipeg kept themselves in the playoff hunt in both the Division and the Conference with a 4-1 win over Buffalo.  Aaron Gagnon‘s first NHL goal proved to be the winner, with Kyle Wellwood, Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler also scoring.  Kevin Porter was the lone Sabre to beat Ondrej Pavelec, who stopped 29 shots.  Winnipeg is tied for 8th in the East with the NYR and trail the Caps by 2 in the Southeast.
5. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves to shut out the Sharks 4-0.  Marian Gaborik had a goal and an assist, while Matt Calvert, James Wisniewski and Ryan Johansen also scored for the Blue Jackets. Columbus moved back to within 2 points of 8th place Detroit in the race for the final playoff spot in the West.
6. Brian Elliott made just 15 saves, but that was all he needed to do to shut out the Predators 1-0.  Alex Steen‘s 2nd period goal was the difference, as the Blues are now 5 points clear of 9th place and sit in the 6th seed as of today.
7. Marian Hossa‘s second period goal stood up as the winner as Ray Emery made 20 saves for the shutout, a 1-0 win over the Wild.  Minnesota drops to the 7th seed, 4 points back of the Canucks in the Northwest Division.  Chicago opened up a 5 point lead on Anaheim for the top seed in the West.
8. Ray Whitney and Vernon Fiddler each scored twice in the third period to break open a 1-1 tie and help the Stars beat the Kings 5-1.  Alex Goligoski had tied the game at 1 in the first period to tie it up after Drew Doughty had given the Stars a 1-0 lead.  Despite dealing the likes of Derek Roy, Jaromir Jagr and Brenden Morrow, the Stars are still scratching and clawing to stay in the playoff race.  They are tied with Columbus, just 2 points back of Detroit for the 8th playoff spot.

That concludes our tour around the NHL for Tuesday night. Two games with playoff implications in the East on Wednesday, featuring Toronto in New York to play the 8th place Rangers, and Boston in New Jersey to play the 10th place Devils. The Senators need some help to keep afloat in the race for 8th, and will be looking to a couple of divisional rivals to help their cause. Check back tomorrow for a full recap.