from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

The voting for the NHL Awards occurs before the playoffs begin, so you never know what’s going to happen after Game 82. But still, no one could have predicted how much the regular season differed from the post-season.

It raises the question: should we wait until the Stanley Cup is awarded to cast our ballots on who truly had the best season?

“Let’s be honest, this is a celebration of what went on in the regular season,” said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, who is a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy. “There’s only two teams that got to play all the way into June. Along the way, teams get knocked off. We were one of them. It just goes to show how hard it is to be there at the end.”

“I think it’s good that they vote on it right after,” said St. Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and is also a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward. “It’s a long season. I don’t think I think playoff performances could definitely impact your view on a guy, especially with what he’s done in the post-season.”

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