Tip of the Tower
Fansided

Sabres: Was Jack Eichel Unfairly Snubbed as Calder Trophy Finalist?

By Paul Taylor

Mar 7, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (15) celebrates his goal in the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Sabres beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (15) celebrates his goal in the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Sabres beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel was not among the finalists for the Calder Trophy, but did the voters get it right or was he unfairly left out?

When Jack Eichel was left off the list of Calder Trophy nominees, the initial response among Buffalo Sabres fans was to say he had been snubbed. This was an understandable reaction within Western New York, but is there any credence to it?

More from Buffalo Sabres

Certainly, Eichel enjoyed a fantastic first season in the NHL. He finished with 56 points in 81 games, good enough for second in the NHL among all rookies.

However, is this a case of the 2015 second overall draft pick being disrespected, or him simply being unlucky? Even Sabres followers will surely admit there were many worthy candidates to consider this season.

One way to analyze this matter objectively, is to look at who was nominated by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. For a start, it can be no surprise the voters went for Artemi Panarin, who led all rookies in points and by quite a considerable margin.

Yes, one argument against Panarin is that he benefited from playing with Patrick Kane. However, the Chicago Blackhawks rookie also helped his teammate have his best season yet in the NHL.

Turning to Connor McDavid, some people will suggest he wasn’t worthy of being nominated, when you consider he only played half a season and the Edmonton Oilers were once again terrible. However, this doesn’t change the fact he was exceptional whenever he was on the ice, with the third-best average points per-game in the NHL among regular players.

Sabres
Dec 6, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) celebrates with right wing Patrick Kane (88) after scoring a goal against the Winnipeg Jets during the third period at United Center. The Blackhawks won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

Finally we have Shayne Gostisbehere, who had a sensational year by leading all rookie defensemen in scoring, despite missing 18 games. Further, his 15-game points streak was the longest by an NHL defenseman in 20 years.

Of the three, Sabres fans would conceivably see Gostisbehere as the one who should have been replaced by Eichel. In truth though, it was a particularly strong rookie class all around, with the likes of Max Domi and Dylan Larkin – who was the early favorite for the Calder Trophy – arguably also unlucky to miss out on nomination.

Ultimately though, Sabres supporters should not feel too aggrieved by Eichel’s omission, which is in no way a reflection of his performances this season. Further, take solace in the fact a certain John Tavares also didn’t get nominated in his rookie campaign, and things have turned out okay for him.

Next: Sabres on Drake Caggiula's shortlist of teams

What are your thoughts on Jack Eichel not being selected as a finalist for the Calder Trophy? Did the voters get it right, or do you believe he was unfairly left out? Let us know in the comments section below.

Home/Buffalo Sabres