NHL: The Season So Far

The NHL Season is already 1/4 over and it's time to give out the first quarter awards.  Here is who, I think, if the season ended today would be up for the leagues top awards:

Hart Trophy (MVP):
1.  Sidney Crosby (11 G / 22 A / 28 Pts / +4 / 22 Games Played)
2.  Alex Steen (17 G / 9 A / 26 Pts /  +11 / 20 GP)
3.  Alex Ovechkin (17 G / 7 A / 24 Pts /  -7 /  20 GP)

Analysis:
So far the league's biggest standout has been Pittsburgh Penguins C Sidney Crosby.  It seems not much has changed from the past 3 seasons in that Crosby is still the best player in the NHL (or the world for that matter) and is playing like it.  If the season ended today it would be hard for the NHL not to give Crosby MVP.
The big surprise on this list is of course St. Louis Blues LW Alex Steen, who has put up 17 goals (league leading) in 20 games.  If he can keep up the pace he is on right now for the whole season, the MVP race will be much more headed come seasons end.
The final person in the MVP race is also a familiar one. After a two year hiatus, Alex Ovechkin has decided to start playing hockey again. Only time will tell if he can keep up his play of late or if he will drop off like he did two seasons ago.  But unless he can fix that horrible +/- both Crosby and Steen would and should have the upper hand on him.

Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) 
1.  Ryan Suter ( 0 G / 14 A / 14 Pts / +0 / 23 GP)
2.  Oliver Ekman-Larsson ( 4 G / 12 A / 16 Pts / + 12 / 21 GP)
3.  Jay Bouwmeester ( 1 G / 15 A / 16 Pts / + 10 / 20 GP)

Analysis:
Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild plays more minutes than any other defenseman in the NHL - because he has too.  Minnesota does not have the strongest blue line and Suter is by far their best player on the back end - and he likes it that way.  Suter thrives playing upwards of 30+ minutes a night and plays in all situations.  His offensive output is solid but his defensive play, to this point, has been the best in the NHL - especially considering the lack of defensive support he has behind him on his team.
 Ekman-Larrson has been a nice surprise for the Phoenix Coyotes.  Still only 22, him and Keith Yandle have become one of the best duos in the NHL.  If he can keep up how he has been playing this year he should definitely be in the Norris mix - but considering he has Keith Yandle as a linemate and Suter has, well basically just himself, I would still give Suter the trophy up till this point.  If Ekman-Larrson were to explode offensively in the next 3/4 of the season and keep his defensive play up then I believe the NHL would have a much closer race for top defenseman than it is right now.
The St. Louis Blues have the best defensive core in the NHL - bar none.  They acquired former Calgary Flames D-man Jay Bouwmeester at the trade deadline last year numerous down years and he has thrived in St. Louis so far.  Much like Ekman-Larrson, Bouwmeester would have to have significantly up his offensive game in order to be seriously considered in the same tier as Suter is right now - which would not be impossible due to the previous success Bouwmeester has had as an offensive defenseman.

Vezina Trophy (Best Goalie)
1. Tuukka Rask (18 GP / 12 W / 1.61 GAA / .946 Sv% / 2 SO)
2. Josh Harding ( 19 GP / 13 W / 1.48 GAA / .939 Sv% / 2 SO)
3. Marc-Andre Fleury ( 19 GP / 13 W / 1.90 GAA / .924 Sv% / 2 SO)

Analysis:
Tuukka Rask, since taking over for Tim Thomas as the Bruin's top goaltender, has been nothing less than spectacular.  Posting a staggering 1.61 goals against and .946 save percentage - it would be mathematically impossible not to give him the trophy for him play up till this point.  The numbers, and his play, have just been that good.
The best story in the NHL season so far, Josh Harding took the top goaltending job away from star veteran goaltender Niklas Backstrom after he went down with an injury early in the season.  The feel good part of this story? Josh Harding is suffering from MS and has been since September of 2012.  Yet despite battling such an illness, he is still fantastic numbers on a Wild team that is expected to win now.  It is a close race between Tuukka and Josh at this point but don't be surprised if you see Harding take the trophy, despite having slightly lower stats, due to the nature of his playing condition.
Marc-Andre Fleury has rebounded very nicely from another horrendous effort in the playoffs last season.  Not having a reliable backup - Fleury will be relied on heavily as he has already this year for the Penguins.  His play up till this point has put him with the elite goaltenders in the league stat wise this season and due to the nature of his comeback situation, I believe he would get the nod for a nomination over goaltenders who have slightly better stats.  Unless his numbers get to a point where they are scary good, I doubt he will have an actual chance of winning considering how well Harding and Rask are playing this year.

Calder Trophy (Best Rookie)
1. Tomas Hertl ( 12 G / 6 A / 18 Pts / + 7 / 21 GP)
2. Seth Jones ( 2 G / 6 A / 8 Pts / -7 / 21 GP)
3. Sean Monahan ( 8 G / 6 A / 14 Pts / -6 / 22 GP)

Analysis:
Tomas Hertl has taken the league by storm so far this year.  Scoring four goals in a game against the New York Rangers back in October - no one projected this San Jose C to put up these types of numbers on a team that is already stacked with offensive talent.  A true rookie, he is the clear choice for the Calder Trophy so far this season.
Seth Jones, in the upcoming seasons, will become one of the NHL's top defensemen.  His pairing with Shea Weber is, in my opinion, already in the top 5 pairing in the league and will only get better as Jones gains experience.  He is playing top line minutes on a team that relies heavily on it's defense which is why he gets a nod despite putting up lack luster stats.  His stats may not be crystal clean - but his defensive play is something that should be recognized.
Well, this is a surprise. The Flames don't suck.  Well, that's not entirely true as they are still a pretty bad team but this team is no where close to where people thought they would be and that is due largely in part to first round pick  C Sean Monahan.  Monahan has come into an environment with very little expectations and thrived in it.  Look for him in the upcoming seasons to become the new cornerstone of a Calgary Flames franchise that is in desperate need of a player to build a team around. It look like they may have found that player in Monahan.