Sidney Crosby won't be winning his fourth Stanley Cup this season. He also won't be winning his first Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward.
Four-time winner Patrice Bergeron of the Bruins joins the Blues' Ryan O'Reilly and the Golden Knights' Mark Stone as this year's three Selke finalists. The winner will be revealed during the NHL Awards Show to be held June 19 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Crosby earned consideration this season by posting a 55.4 face-off percentage, the third-best percentage of his 14-year career to go along with 54 takeaways, the second-most of his career, and a personal-best 43 blocked shots. He was also used on the penalty kill for the first time in nine seasons, averaging :34 in short-handed ice time. Crosby had two short-handed assists, matching a career-high.
In addition to his prowess away from the puck, Crosby was the NHL's fifth-leading scorer. The 31-year-old put up 100 points -- 35 goals and 65 assists -- for the sixth time in his Hall of Fame career.
On more than one occasion this season, which concluded with the Penguins being swept by the Islanders in their first-round series on Tuesday, Mike Sullivan called Crosby "the best 200-foot player in the game."
”I think when people look at Sid and his game, they don’t think about his defense because he’s so dynamic offensively, and always has been,” Sullivan said. “But when you look at his overall game, it’s the most complete game I think that any player possesses.”
Neither Bergeron (79), O'Reilly (77) nor Stone (73) topped more than 80 points. Bergeron helped the Bruins tie for third in the NHL in goals-against per game at 2.59. O'Reilly led the league in face-off wins for the second consecutive season with 1,086. Stone led the NHL in takeaways for the fourth time in the past five seasons with 122 in 77 games with the Senators and Golden Knights.
Crosby's best finish in Selke voting came in 2015-16 when he was seventh, receiving two first-place votes. However, he could still be among the finalists for the Hart Trophy, an award he's won twice before, most recently in 2013-14.
• Earlier Wednesday, Matt Murray was named the Penguins' nominee for the King Clancy Award. That award recognizes the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."
• The Penguins will break for the summer following exit meetings tomorrow morning at the Lemieux Complex. Jim Rutherford and Sullivan will address the media at 12:30 p.m.
