Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews among finalists for NHL Selke Trophy

Toronto Maple Leafs star centre Auston Matthews is a finalist for the NHL's Selke Trophy.

Florida Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov and Carolina Hurricanes centre Jordan Staal are also nominated for the honour awarded to the best defensive forward in the league.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Selke Trophy at the end of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.

Matthews already won this season's Maurice Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal-scorer with 69 regular-season goals.

He's the first Richard winner also voted a Selke finalist in the same season.

Also voted a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play, Matthews ranked second among all NHL forwards in takeaways (85), tied for second in blocked shots (93), was fifth in even-strength total ice time (1,364:28) and seventh in plus-minus (+31).

Barkov helped the Atlantic Division champion Panthers finish the season tied for best goals-against-average in the NHL (2.41, excluding two GA for shootout losses).

Staal led all Hurricanes forwards in short-handed ice time (168:58) for the NHL's top penalty-killing unit (86.4%). He took a team-leading 1,375 faceoffs and won 58.1 per cent of them, the sixth-best percentage in the league (min. 50 GP/500 faceoffs), taking 89 per cent more faceoffs in the defensive zone (581) than the offensive zone (308).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2024.