Ottawa Senators 2014-15 Team MVP: End Of Season Awards
The end of season awards are wrapping up, and here comes arguably the most important… the 2015/2016 Ottawa Senators’ Team MVP.
Senators Team MVP:
The votes are in…
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Erik Karlsson [120 Votes]:
Apr 19, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) before game three against the Montreal Canadiens of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
This one should not come as a surprise..
Of course, Erik Karlsson had one of his most successful seasons yet as he led Ottawa in scoring all season long and took strides as a 24-year-old captain that many didn’t think he would.
Now, after two seasons with two new captains, the Senators have found the right one. It’s hard to believe that Karlsson is still only 24-years-old and could join Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr as the only two defenders in NHL history to win two Norris trophies under the age of 25. What an accomplishment that would be.
Erik Karlsson really showed his value in the second half this year as the fans really got to see what he can bring to the table. Karlsson is the league’s best puck-mover and with Marc Methot back by his side, it gave Karlsson some more freedom. Erik easily takes this one, as he received 70% of the votes in our poll.
It is fun to be able to watch one of the league’s elite night in and night out. Karlsson has his Norris, the next step for him is hoisting Lord Stanley over his head.
Runner Up:
Karlsson took this one by a wide margin, but let’s take a look at who our runner up was this time.
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Mark Stone [25 Votes]
Apr 7, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators right wing Mark Stone (61) skates with the puck in the in the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators defeated the Penguins 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Mark Stone has developed into everything Senators fans dreamt for after he made the team this year. A strong two-way game and a huge second half of development has fans now wondering what is next. Stone is a calder candidate and given his strong two-way play, he may find his name etched on the Selke trophy in the near future.
Leading the league in takeaways will give you that chance.
If you’re evaluating the last two months or so, Mark Stone easily gets the nod here just based on how good he was during Ottawa’s miracle run. He averaged a point-per-game through the team’s last 40 games and provided some very timely goals.
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On the scale of a season, Karlsson takes this one, but Stone certainly isn’t far behind. Stone put a lot of work in last summer and if he’s able to get a hot start to next season, he could easily compete with Karlsson for the lead in team points. Look for him to have a monster of a year in 15-16.
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Others:
Andrew Hammond [22 Votes]
Kyle Turris [7 Votes]
There it is.. the Senators’ season MVP is Erik Karlsson with the runner up being Mark Stone. Both are up for major NHL awards and each have real possibilities to take home the honour.
Mark Stone’s contract is up and Erik Karlsson still has 5 years in Ottawa. For Stone, it will be a summer of hard work and negotiations, here’s hoping a contract is worked out soon, preferably long-term.
Next: The Senators Have Quite The Player In Mika Zibanejad