Daily Faceoff Live: Which rookies are contenders for the Calder Trophy?

In the latest episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discussed which players have a good chance of winning the Calder Trophy in the 2022-23 season.

Last year, the finalists were forwards Michael Bunting and Trevor Zegras, along with defenseman Moritz Seider. Seider won the trophy after a remarkable 50-point campaign as the No. 1 blue-liner on the Detroit Red Wings.

Who are the best bets this year?

Tyler Yaremchuk: Who is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy, and who is a dark-horse candidate?

Frank Seravalli: Well, I think Nick (Alberga) smashed it in his description of Matty Beniers, saying he’s the guy to beat. This is absolutely the case when you look at his production, albeit on a limited sample size. He steps into the NHL last spring and doesn’t miss a beat, with nine points in 10 games, and really seemed to fit in quite nicely with the Kraken. Now, they are going to be asking him to do a lot, and I wonder at some point if he hits the rookie wall, and that’s certainly possible.

One guy that I have my eye on is from the Minnesota Wild. We have talked about their salary cap a lot this past summer and how they need players on entry-level deals who will be contributing in meaningful ways. And I look at Marco Rossi and the season he had last year in the AHL, putting up 53 points in 63 games. He was productive, he was consistent and there are high expectations for Marco Rossi. If you’re looking for a dark horse, he’s a guy way down the list that you might be able to get good odds on. And when you look at Matt Boldy and some other guys that have stepped into the Minnesota Wild lineup, they have supported those guys really well. And so, Marco Rossi, you see him here on the fourth-line spot. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him sliding up the lineup at various points, potentially also getting some time on the wing. Rossi is a guy I have my eye on, a real dark horse. A sleeper pick would be Thomas Bordeleau from the San Jose Sharks. He’s another guy that for whatever reason was the forgotten guy at the University of Michigan. The guy that no one seemed to pay a lot of attention to and yet a really talented player that could put up some points if given the opportunity in San Jose.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I love Beniers. If you can get him at around +550 on the betting markets right now as one of the favorites, I think Mason McTavish and Owen Power are in that group with him as well. I love the Rossi pick as well; he’s 12 to 1. Just to be a little different: I’m looking at players who build their way into skill roles throughout the season, who maybe aren’t playing there now in the preseason. Kent Johnson in Columbus, I wonder about him, if he can find his way onto a line with [Johnny] Gaudreau or [Patrik] Laine. And if he’s on that power-play 1, which could be deadly this season, with [Zach] Werenski quarterbacking it in Columbus, Kent Johnson could rack up the points as well.

Frank Seravalli: Yeah, Kent Johnson is a great pick. He was on my list, such a talented player. He oozes skill and creativity, to put him with guys like Gaudreau, and Jake Voracek is an unbelievable playmaker, he just feeds guys left and right for points. Patrik Laine with the shot, get him in combination with those guys, you could see something really dangerous.

You can watch the rest of the show here…