2016 NHL Award Winners

2016 NHL Award winners, reactions and analysis

Players from the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals were big winners

Norris Trophy

• Best defenseman
• Drew Doughty D / Los Angeles Kings

Reactions: There seemed to be a season-long push for Drew Doughty to win his first Norris Trophy, and now he has it.The "it's his time to win it" narrative is a bit bizarre when you consider the fact Doughty is only 26 years old and even better players than him had to wait even longer to win their first (like, say, Nicklas Lidstrom for example).
This isn't meant to take anything away from Doughty. He is an outstanding player and is clearly on the short list of best defensemen in the league. But is he a better, more impactful player than somebody like Erik Karlsson, who not only put up one of the best offensive seasons of any defenseman in recent memory, but is also perhaps the most game-changing player the league has seen at the position in decades?

Selke Trophy

• Best defensive forward
• Anze Kopitar C / Los Angeles Kings 

Reactions: It was going to be Kopitar or Bergeron. In a race this close, perhaps the Kings reaching the postseason was the deciding factor. Bergeron was his typically dominant self, but Kopitar was certainly right up there.

Kopitar has been a finalist for the Selke Trophy in each of the last two seasons, but the Los Angeles Kings forward finally won it this year. A dominant force at both ends of the ice, Kopitar nearly topped his career-high in points this season, while going head-to-head with the opposition's top lines.

He is the first Kings player in the franchise's nearly 50-year history to win the Selke. No forward played more minutes this season than Kopitar's 1,690:12, an average of nearly 21 minutes a game.

The Kings were one of the stingiest teams in the NHL, thanks in large part to Kopitar, Norris Trophy winning defenseman Drew Doughty and Vezina Trophy finalist Jonathan Quick.
The newly-minted captain of the Kings ranked seventh in the NHL with 950 faceoff wins, was second in the league with a plus-34 rating, while the Kings controlled even-strength shot attempts at a 56.6 percent clip with Kopitar on the ice.

While Bergeron had a good case for another Selke, Kopitar is still quite deserving. Ryan Kesler was also a finalist, but finished a distant third. -- Chris Peters

Lady Byng award

• Player that best displays gentlemanly conduct
• Anze Kopitar C / Los Angeles Kings

Reactions: A big night for Anze Kopitar as he not only takes home the Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward, but also gets the Lady Byng award. Kopitar played 81 games this season, logged more than 20 minutes of ice-time per game, was the the best defensive forward in the league, and still only took eight minute penalties (16 total penalty minutes) all season. -- Adam Gretz

Complete list (CBSSports.com)