Calder: Ivan Demidov takes flight as Matthew Schaefer slows down

Michaël Petit
Calder: Ivan Demidov takes flight as Matthew Schaefer slows down
Credit: Twitter screenshot

This season, the race for the Calder Trophy (best rookie) will be very close.

With Matthew Schaefer's stellar start to the season, it didn't take long before many fans were saying that the 18-year-old defenseman would win the trophy hands down.

Of course, anything can happen at this stage of the season, and while what Schaefer is doing at 18 (not just his offensive production) is incredible, Ivan Demidov hasn't said his last word.

In the 13 games between the two rookies, Demidov racked up 13 points, while Schaefer had just five. Demidov now leads the rookie scoring charts (32), while Schaefer (24) is now 3rd behind Beckett Sennecke (29).

Sennecke really shouldn't be overlooked, but let's just say that the Habs prospect has taken off at the right time. He just needs to keep up the pace.

As Marc-Olivier Beaudoin mentioned above, Minnesota Wild rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt is also in the running. He has an impressive 11-2-2 record, a .931 save percentage, and a 2.16 goals-against average. These are mind-boggling statistics for a 23-year-old goalie.

It's shaping up to be a race between two forwards, a defenseman, and a goalie, just like last season.

Matthew Schaefer, however, will need to get back to his early-season pace if he is to have any hope of winning the Calder Trophy. As for Demidov, if he keeps up the momentum (19 points in his last 20 games), he has a good chance of remaining the favorite.

I say the favorite because he's first in the rookie scoring standings, but looking at the Calder Trophy odds on Mise-o-jeu, Schaefer is still the favorite (odds of 1.6). Demidov is in second place with odds of 3.5, while Sennecke has odds of 4.75.

What's even more interesting is the rating of the Wild's goalie (who has phenomenal stats for a 23-year-old). The Swedish goalie has a rating of 13.

(Credit: Screenshot | Mise-o-jeu)

Let's forget the odds for the moment and concentrate on the quality of play these young players will bring us.

The race for the Calder will certainly be very interesting between now and the end of the season. Let's see who can pull out all the stops and finish on top.


Overtime

– Well, well.

On the other hand, if Montembeault doesn't prove he's back on his game, it's going to be tough for the Québécois to force the Habs to keep him up top. He'll have to give it his all against the Panthers.

– It's got to be stressful.

– It's not what we expected, with all the talent in the club.

– Too bad for the Hurricanes.

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