With the Christmas break approaching and two-and-a-half months of NHL hockey in the books, there are some dark-horse candidates emerging for this season's major NHL awards.
The favorites have established themselves as current leaders in categories like goals and points at their respective positions, but some of those just outside the top tier have shots at surpassing the superstars. These dark horses may not all be names you watch on a nightly basis, but their early performances have them pushing for recognition.
In some cases, a star who has started with a fizzle could go on a tear and out with a bang to snatch the award away from one of the current pacemakers.
Here's a look at this season's dark-horse candidates for each major NHL individual regular-season award.
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Article written by Steve Macfarlane