3 trophies that should be added to next year's NHL Awards ceremony

Another NHL season is in the books, and certain players were named the strongest at their respective positions.

For some time, hockey fans have argued that certain skaters are given an award for the wrong reasons. Brent Burns, for example, was just named the Norris Trophy winner, but some would contest that Ottawa Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson was the more complete all-around defender. We’ve come up with three new trophies that would help put some of the controversy over certain awards to rest, and give certain players the recognition they deserve.

“Bobby Orr Award”- Most offensive defenceman

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The debate over Burns and Karlsson for the 2017 Norris Trophy leads us to presenting our first new prize: The Bobby Orr award. Orr was not just regarded for his offensive prowess, however, he set unthinkable scoring records with the Bruins and deserves to have his name on a trophy. If the best ‘all-around' defenceman happened to also be the most offensive, then that player will be awarded both. But year after year, we’ve seen that hasn’t necessarily been the case.

“Wayne Gretzky Award”- Most assists by the end of the season

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If there is a trophy that recognizes a player for scoring the most goals (Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy), then there should certainly be one awarded to the player who accumulates the most assists, too. Gretzky could do it all, but his play-making ability stands at the top throughout history. ‘The Great One’ compiled 1,963 assists throughout his career, and amassed an unthinkable 163 apples in the 1985-86 season, a record which has been untouched since. The bottom line is that Gretzky deserves to have an NHL trophy named after him and this is a perfect match.

The Strongest Grinder Award

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Unlike the other two trophies, the player who this one should be named after is up for debate. Skilled players are generally given credit for their contributions, but the third and fourth line guys often don’t get their worthy recognition. With that said, it’s time to pick out the player in the league who represents what a grinder does best: hit, contribute both offensively and defensively, penalty kills, stands up for his teammates, and wears his heart on his sleeve game after game. They don’t always show it on the score sheet, but these players hold unique value to their respective teams.

We know there are others that should probably make their way into next year’s award ceremony, but these are three to think about. Let us know which other ones there should be @BarDown.