Evander A Strong Calder Candidate

Coming around the quarter pole of the season let's take a look at the race for the Calder Trophy, the trophy awarded to the Rookie of the Year. Of course there are plenty of rookies in the league but really the race has already been narrowed to just a hand full of 1st year players and our Evander Kane is amongst the standouts.

The race has come down the following players:

• John Tavares - NY Islanders
• Evander Kane - Atl Thrashers
• Matt Duchene - Col Avalanche
• Victor Hedman - TB Lightning
• Tyler Myers - Buf Sabres

Currently the race would go to John Tavares of the Islanders, the #1 pick of this years draft was counted on by the Isles to become their franchise player and would be counted on in his first year to spark their offense and help to turn the club's freefall around. So far, Tavares has lived up to his billing he's posted 9G 10A for a total of 19 points while keeping a respectable -1 with just 4 minutes in penalties. He's touched opponents for 1 powerplay and 1 short handed goal and he averages approximately 18:39 per game.

The battle right now for the runner up would be a toss up between Kane and Tyler Myers. Evander has notched 7G and 5A for 12 points (2nd among rookies in scoring) with a +7 rating, best among rookies, and a short handed goal. Evander gets the least amount of ice time among all rookies in the hunt with just around 14 minutes per game.

Myers, the Buffalo defenseman, has made a huge impact on the blueline for the Sabres, showing he's got defensive skills and an offensive weapons. Myers has posted 3G 6A for a total of 9 points with a +3 rating including a power play goal. He's a workhorse for the team with 21:45 per night of ice time and as a defenseman has shown an ability to stay on the ice and not in the penalty box with just 10 minutes in penalties thus far.

Rounding out the bottom two spots are Matt Duchene and Victor Hedman. Both players are posting respectable rookie numbers but are being left behind by the top 3.

Could Evander topple Tavares? That's a question for sure, he's got the skills for sure and he plays some great hockey and contributes to the team in ways that just don't show up on stat sheets. Evander has become a go to guy on the PK in Atlanta and is part of the reason for the overall success of the Thrashers revamped penalty kill. The biggest obstacle that may face Kane in trying to gain the Calder Trophy would be his ice time. The less time you are on the ice the less opportunity you have to score and showcase your talent.

Whether it's Kane or Tavares or somebody else...it doesn't matter to Thrasher fans. Evander has already found a place in the hearts of Atlanta fans and will be a player counted on by the Atlanta Thrashers for years to come and that's a fact that will remain long after the argument for one trophy has played out.