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The Professional Hockey Writers Association announced the Bill Masterton Trophy nominees on Friday afternoon. It is awarded to an NHL player "who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."
Since its inception in 1968, the Bill Masterton Trophy has gone to players who have overcome cancer and life-threatening injuries and those who defy the odds to get another chance at playing professional hockey.
In 2022-23, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang won the Bill Masterton Trophy after suffering a stroke and missing a portion of the season. Meanwhile, his father passed away, leading to another absence from the team.
This season, 32 individuals have unique reasons for their nominations. However, five players deserve to win the award, and this is their story.
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#5 Colin Blackwell - Chicago Blackhawks
Colin Blackwell went to Harvard and was a seventh-round pick (194th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. After 33 games with the Nashville Predators, he started to forge his career with the New York Rangers before joining the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft.
After signing with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23, he's been part of the rebuild with the first former overall pick, Connor Bedard. Blackwell had 10 points during his first season, but his campaign was cut short by a sports hernia surgery in March 2023.
Following rehab, Blackwell returned to the lineup on Dec. 19 and has collected 12 points in 39 games, earning the team's nomination for the Bill Masterton Trophy.
#4 Zach Werenski - Columbus Blue Jackets
Zach Werenski was the eighth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and routinely scored over 40 points a year until recent injuries derailed a promising career. In 2022-23, a season-ending shoulder surgery limited the Columbus Blue Jackets' top defenseman to just 13 games.
Although Werenski was healthy to begin the 2023-24 season, he played in 34 matchups before suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 27, which caused him to miss almost a month of action. Despite this setback, he's skated in 64 matchups and set a career-high in points with 49.
As one of the core members of the Columbus lineup, he's a Bill Masterton Trophy nominee because he's overcome so much to stay in the lineup and help the Blue Jackets become contenders.
#3 Ilya Samsonov - Toronto Maple Leafs
Ilya Samsonov is another first-round pick (22nd overall in 2015) looking to live up to expectations of being a top pick. After compiling a 52-22-8 record with the Washington Capitals from 2019 to 2022, he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs and impressed with a 27-10-5 record in 2022-23.
Although he had to take the Maple Leafs to arbitration last season, Samsonov ended up with a $3.5 million, one-year prove-it deal. Unfortunately for the goaltender, he was 5-2-6 with a .862 save percentage and 3.46 goals-against average, earning a demotion to the minors right after Christmas.
Considering Samsonov plays in front of one of the most passionate fan bases, there's a lot of pressure to perform, which he's done since rejoining the lineup on Jan. 14, posting a 16-4-1 record with a .912 save percentage and 2.52 goals-against average.
Even though Samsonov did not suffer any significant injuries, many of his struggles this season relate to mental health. After a visit from his parents from Russia, he's had one of the best second halves of any NHL netminder, making him a Bill Masterton Trophy nominee.
#2 Oliver Kylington - Calgary Flames
Oliver Kylington was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the second round (60th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The Swedish defenseman made his NHL debut in 2015 and became a regular shortly after.
After skating in 73 games with a Flames team that won the Pacific Division, Kylington's last NHL outing came on May 26, 2022. He opted to sit out the entire 2022-23 season, wishing to work on his mental health back home in Sweden.
Many fans across social media complained that a millionaire was not playing, instead using their mental health as a cop-out. However, Kylington defied the odds and returned on Jan. 25, scoring his first goal in his ninth outing on Feb. 19.
As someone who went public with his battle with mental health, Kylington is a front-runner to win the Bill Masterton Trophy for overcoming one of the least publicized illnesses today.
#1 Frederik Andersen - Carolina Hurricanes
Frederik Andersen has had a successful career in the NHL. He skated with the Anaheim Ducks, who drafted him 87th overall in 2012, and the Maple Leafs before landing with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Since moving to Raleigh, he's been the team's undisputed No. 1 goalie. He was 6-1-0 through seven games to start the 2023-24 season. However, Andersen didn't play beyond Nov. 2, discovering he had blood clots.
After the initial diagnosis, there was no timetable for his return, if he was coming back at all. But, through perseverance, Andersen returned to action on March 7, and he is 7-1-0 with a .949 while leading the Hurricanes to a top spot in the Eastern Conference.
If any skater in the NHL deserves to win the Bill Masterton Trophy, it is Andersen for overcoming one of the most severe injuries someone can be diagnosed with.
