Golden Knights All-Star Break Mid-Season Awards

Okay so maybe it's not exactly mid-season. But "Vegas Golden Knights Mid-Season Grades At the 65% ish Mark/NHL All-Star Break" was too long of a title. We're stealing an idea from Colorado Hockey Now and going over our picks for the Vegas Golden Knights players who fit each specific category.

Let's get started.

Most Valuable Player

Mark Stone

The only statistic you really need to know about Mark Stone this season is that the Golden Knights are 1-5-2 without him. Sure, he won't be able to fix all of the team's problems when he comes back, but when in the lineup, his play was making these issues fade away.

After having much-needed offseason back surgery, Stone played in the first 43 straight games for the VGK, scoring 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points. Now, he is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and the fate of the Golden Knight's season will likely be determined by Stone's health.

Most Surprising

Will Carrier

One of the biggest issues so far this season for the Golden Knights has been depth scoring, especially on the third line. But on the fourth line, when healthy, head coach Bruce Cassidy doesn't have much to worry about as Will Carrier, Nicolas Roy, and Keegan Kolesar have been excellent.

Carrier already has a career-high 12 goals this season which is more than Chandler Stephenson, William Karlsson, Vladamir Tarasenko, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Patrick Kane.

Biggest Disappointment

Jack Eichel

On the flip side of things, so-called superstar Jack Eichel has not lived up to expectations this season and has been especially bad with Stone out. Before his eleven-game leg injury, Eichel had 29 points in 27 games, which was strong. 

However, in his last eight games, all of which have come with Stone out of the lineup, Eichel has just one point and is a -8.

Comeback Player

Alec Martinez

Alec Martinez took a skate to the face last season and missed 52 straight games as a result.

Even with some injuries this season, the veteran D-man managed to return and has played in 47 games so far this season. He still leads the NHL in shot blocking with 151 total, far ahead of Ivan Provorow who is no. 2 with 122 blocked shots.

Unsung Hero Award

William Karlsson

An argument can be made for Chandler Stephenson here, but considering he is now an All-Star we're going with William Karlsson, who is quietly putting together a nice bounce-back season.

Now with over 400 career VGK games to his name, Karlsson has 34 points in 51 games this season and has been a great two-way force for the VGK. He has arguably been the player who has benefited the most from head coach Bruce Cassidy's new systems.

Most Improved Player

Paul Cotter

Given that he was playing in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights last season, Paul Cotter takes home the most improved player award. He's officially broken into the NHL as a nice utility forward who has played on every forward line for the team this season.

His passion for the game and personality have reflected on the ice and the 23-year-old has 11 points in 33 games in his true rookie outing.

Rookie of the Year

Logan Thompson

But the best rookie on the team has to be Logan Thompson, who has emerged as a starting goaltender in the National Hockey League as he has taken over from Robin Lehner. Thompson, who is headed to the NHL's All-Star Game has played in 35 games this season, posting a .913 sv% and 2.69 GAA.

NHL Awards

Lastly, let's go over the actual NHL Awards and see if any members of the VGK have a shot at bringing in any hardware.

The only awards I think you could argue for Golden Knights personnel would be the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), Norris Trophy (top defensemen), and Selke Trophy (best defensive forward) with Logan Thompson, Alex Pietrangelo, and Mark Stone being the candidates respectively.

With Stone's injury and with guys like Erik Karlsson and Adam Fox having better seasons, it really only comes down to Thompson for the Calder. He is up against guys like Matty Beniers of the Seattle Kraken, Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks, and Cole Perfetti of the Winnipeg Jets among others.