Rielly and Andersen named among NHL Midseason Awards

Just before the break for the All-Star festivities, the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) have voted for the awards in the midseason and what players they believe deserve the award at the half-way point.

Within this massive list of NHL stars, lie two Toronto Maple Leafs and who the PHWA believe have at least deserved some recognition for what they have done in the first half of the season.

Morgan Rielly was placed second in the Norris Trophy voting, just behind Calgary Flames defenceman Mark Giordano and San Jose Sharks defenceman Brent Burns.

Not only did Rielly get mentioned for the Norris Trophy, but he placed second as well in Lady Byng voting. Awarded to the most player that has demonstrated the best type of sportsmanship conduct, Rielly was just behind Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov and ahead of Calgary Flames forward Sean Monahan.

Already breaking the 50-point barrier this season, Rielly has demonstrated consistency in offence from the blueline that is getting recognized across the league.

Joining him in the list is Frederik Andersen, who was mentioned within the Vezina Trophy voting. Placing third in the voting, ahead of him was Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson.

So far this season, Andersen has posted a .923 save percentage and a 2.56 GAA – his best boxscore stats since he has been in a Toronto uniform.

Whether the voting continues in the same trend or some players change positions, Rielly and Andersen are getting recognition from the PHWA as key contributors and among the best in their positions.