Tracking the Blackhawks in NHL award races

The Chicago Blackhawks have a ton of great players, and that means they're usually in the mix for the NHL's top awards. Duncan Keith is a two-time Norris winner, Jonathan Toews has a Selke and Patrick Kane won the Calder back in the day. The latter two have Conn Smythes on their resumes, too.

So this is a pretty spectacular group, and that's before even mentioning the second tier of stars -- Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook and Brandon Saad. The Blackhawks are really, really good, and yada yada yada.

That means several Blackhawks are in the mix for the league's various annual honors, competing with other brilliant players from the around the league. But just how are guys like Kane, Toews and Keith faring in the various award races against the best of the best? Let's take a look.

Patrick Kane

Art Ross Trophy rank: No. 5 (47 points)
Hart Trophy contender
Maurice Richard Trophy contender

The Blackhawks' star winger is on pace for 90 points -- two above his career-high of 88, set back during the 2009-10 season when he was 21 years old. That probably won't be enough to win the Art Ross Trophy, considering Martin St. Louis' 94 points in 2003-04 is the lowest figure for a winner during a full season in decades.

Here are the current point total leaders, prorated for the full season:

So there's an obvious uphill climb if Kane wants his first Art Ross, even if it's still within reach. One thing that's almost a lock, however, is Kane setting a career-high for goals scored. He's currently on pace for 39 this season, which would easily top the 30 he scored five years ago. That probably won't be enough for the Rocket Richard Trophy, but it should keep him in the mix 'til the end.

As for the Hart, it's probably a long shot given the guys above him with superior numbers. Kane will either need to take his production to another level or find some other way to impress voters.

Duncan Keith

Norris Trophy contender

I have no idea how ESPN's trophy tracker works, but it had Keith rated No. 4 among Norris contenders few days ago and now he's not even listed. The formula has to be more complicated than a straight up ranking of defensemen by points, since Keith is currently tied for 16th among NHL defensemen with 26.

The top five guys listed are Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Kevin Shattenkirk, Kris Letang and Mark Giordano, in that order. Shattenkirk and Giordano are No. 1 and No. 2 in points scored by D-men this season, while Weber and Josi combine for arguably the best defensive tandem in the league. Letang has also been highly productive with 28 points in 37 games for Pittsburgh. Keith, meanwhile, helps anchor one of the game's great defenses in Chicago while continuing to be a high-level contributor on the offensive end.

So Keith is definitely in the mix for the Norris, but it feels highly unlikely he'll get the award for a second year in a row. There are just too many great defensemen out there, from the guys listed above to stars like Ryan Suter, Drew Doughty and P.K. Subban. Keith would need to be head and shoulders above the rest to earn the honor again. Instead, he's having another stellar season, which will make it hard to stand out compared to so many fresher names.

Jonathan Toews

Selke Trophy contender
Hart Trophy contender

It's going to be a while before Toews stops contending for the Selke Trophy, given to the forward who demonstrates the most skill on defense. There are no great ways to project which way voters will ultimately go -- typically it's for a veteran -- but you can expect the usual suspects to be in the mix at the end of the season. That means Toews, Anze Kopitar, Patrice Bergeron, Pavel Datsyuk and others, including emerging Lightning forward Ondrej Palat. The 23-year-old finished 11th in Selke voting as a rookie last season and has played a huge role in Tampa Bay's strong play this season. Could Toews win the Selke for a second time? Absolutely, but not unlike the case with Keith, it's possible voters prefer to get the hardware in someone else's hands.

The Hart Trophy is a different story, but like with Kane, it's unlikely that the voters will go with Toews over someone with superior offensive production. A scorer with big numbers like Voracek, Crosby or Malkin seems more likely.

The others

Corey Crawford, Vezina Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy

Marian Hossa, Selke Trophy and all those awards they give for leadership, character, etc.

Teuvo Teravainen, Calder Trophy (maybe he scores like 40 points in the next 40 games? IT COULD HAPPEN.)