What award are Detroit Red Wings players most likely to win?

It's a tradition that certain players get awarded one or more of the 18 individual awards given out at the end of every NHL season. Awards like the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Vezina Trophy, and the James Norris Memorial Trophy are more of the more well-known awards. These trophies usually end up going to one of the same set of two-to-three players every year.

The last time any Detroit Red Wing won an individual NHL award was Moritz Seider after the 2021-22 season, where he was named Rookie of the Year and won the Calder Memorial Trophy. Before him, it was in the 2010-11 season when Nicklas Lidstrom won the James Norris Memorial Trophy for best defenseman in the league.

Now I'm aware that most current Detroit Red Wings aren't close to winning any individual awards, and may never do so. Still, with the team inching ever closer to their contention window, it's not too far out of the realm of possibility that a Detroit Red Wings player or two win individual awards. It's fun to theorize which Detroit Red Wings player would be most likely to win certain awards.

Not every player on the Red Wings will win an individual award, probably ever. For that reason, I'm going to be listing out every individual award and naming which Detroit Red Wings player or players would be most likely to win that award. While I will only be considering Detroit Red Wings who are currently on the team, I will mention prospects who have the potential to win an award when applicable.

Of all the Detroit Red Wings players and available awards, here's a look at who might win in the future

Hart Memorial Trophy: Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider

Starting strong with the Hart, I believe three players would most likely win the award. Larkin, Raymond, and Seider all show to be massively valuable to the team. All have the skill and ability to take the reigns of an entire team and drag them across any finish line, or at least come damn close. If one of them gets hurt, it has the potential to throw the whole team into a state of "oof". We saw this last season when Larkin was injured the team sucked something fierce, but we also saw Raymond carry the entire team for the better part of a month during that time. Not to mention that if Seider wasn't in the lineup, the Detroit Red Wings already "iffy" defense would be far worse than anybody would like to think.

Conn Smythe Trophy: Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond

This one's a little bit harder to predict seeing as by the time this conversation would be relevant, there should be four-to-five more players from the Detroit Red Wings prospect pool on the team who could prove to be in the discussions. But as it stands right now the only two players who I could realistically see being contenders for the Conn Smythe are Larkin and Raymond. Both have exhibited most valuable player (MVP) qualities and have proven that they aren't easily shaken in high-stress situations. They are also the only players on the team to be in the top-five of points on the team since general manager, Steve Yzerman, took over.

Frank J. Selke Trophy: Dylan Larkin

So this one was pretty obvious. Out of every current Detroit Red Wings player, the only one would who could be realistically considered as a contender for the Selke is Larkin. He's been the Detroit Red Wings go-to penalty killer for a long time and has been known to make some incredible defensive plays throughout a game. I mean come on, we all remember THAT play:

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Patrick Kane

Honestly, Patrick Kane was the only current Red Wing who I could realistically see winning the Lady Byng. He's not one to take many penalties. In fact, in the last five years, the most amount of penalty minutes he has taken was 18 in the 2021-22 season and has been known to be nothing less than a class act on and off the ice. It also helps that he is an incredibly skilled player and the group that votes on this award, The Hockey Writers Association, considers that. Otherwise, they'd have to consider at least half the league.

Vezina Trophy: N/A

Out of all the current goaltenders on the Detroit Red Wings, I couldn't realistically see any of them winning the Vezina. Top-10 in the league? Maybe, Cam Talbot, Alex Lyon, and Ville Husso don't scream elite to me. Just very good. However, prospects like Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine could make that discussion more of a reality when they make the jump to the NHL.

James Norris Memorial Trophy: Moritz Seider

This one should be pretty obvious. There isn't a single defenseman currently on the Detroit Red Wings that has a better chance of winning the Norris than Seider. Not only did he take the reins of being the Detroit Red Wings number one defenseman immediately after he made the team but has been relied upon more than any other defenseman on the team. Axel Sandin-Pellikka could make some noise in that department when he joins the team too.

Calder Memorial Trophy: N/A

This is another one that I can't make an argument for anyone simply because there is nobody currently on the Detroit Red Wings who is eligible to do so. However, Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, and Sandin-Pellikka could make a lot of noise when they eventually make the team.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane,

This one is a bit of a difficult one to say who would be most likely to win it, seeing as the Detroit Red Wings have a plethora of players that could fit this mold. In the end, I figured that Larkin and Kane were the best candidates on the team. Not only have both gone through horrible injuries and never lost their love for the sport, but also have gone through plenty of off-ice situations that would make any normal person lose motivation to do anything,

Art Ross Trophy: Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane

As long as Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, and Nathan MacKinnon exist in the league, I can't make a rational argument for a single current or future Detroit Red Wings player to be considered a possibility to win the Art Ross. With most of the team and prospect pool being mostly the same type of player. The odds of anybody getting close to Art Ross status are pretty much close to none. However, if there were any player on the team who could even entertain being potentially considered for this award, it would be Larkin, Raymond, and Kane. They're three of the most efficient scorers on the team and all three possess the ability to hit at least a point per game. So, maybe it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that one of them pops off, like, big time.

King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Dylan Larkin

This one was pretty obvious, While his leadership is very noticeable on the ice, there is nobody on the team that has made bigger contributions to the city of Detroit than Larkin has. He shows his love for the city and regularly participates in fundraisers and events that help grow the love of the sport in Detroit. He has been an avid supporter of various programs that help introduce hockey to Detroit's youth and special needs community.

William M. Jennings Trophy: N/A

For the same reasons listed in the Vezina conversation, Detroit's Current goaltending doesn't scream elite, only very good. While it's true that a defensive core in the shape that the Detroit Red Wings is in could greatly affect a goalie's numbers, a tandem of Lyon/Talbot would amount to nothing more than good numbers. A future tandem of Cossa and Augustine could prove to be a front-runner tandem in the future.

Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy: Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat

It's VERY unlikely that while Auston Matthews and a few others exist in the league, there will be no chance of a Detroit Red Wings player winning this award. However, if there was anybody on the team to win this award it would be one of the team's top-three goal scorers last season. Larkin was on pace to score 40 goals last season before his injuries caused him to fall off track, Raymond has 40+ goal-scoring potential written all over him, and Alex DeBrincat has scored 40 goals before and he probably has the best shot currently on the Red Wings.