from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

Artemi Panarin is making a mockery of the rookie scoring race. The talented Blackhawks winger scored three more goals Wednesday as the Blackhawks jumped back into first place in the Central Division with a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Panarin now has an 18-point lead over Jack Eichel, the second leading rookie scorer. That's right, 18!

So, shall we just hand over the Calder Trophy now? As impressive as Panarin has been, I don't think it's that simple.

What about Shayne Gostisbehere, the sparkling Philadelphia Flyers rookie defenseman, currently on an NHL rookie-record 13-game point streak? His 32 points in 38 games for the Flyers make him the leader among rookie defensemen by a country mile despite playing far fewer games. The Flyers are in a playoff hunt in large part because of Gostisbehere's play.

And then there's Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson, who got a taste of NHL life a year ago but is still technically a rookie while boasting a 2.11 GAA and .917 save percentage. Not overstating it to say Gibson helped save Anaheim's season.

So, what say you friends? Is this a one-man race for the rookie hardware, or is it something else altogether?

more on this debate from the ESPN crew...