The NHL has announced the list of three finalists for the 2023-24 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. The three players being Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes. These players have been selected for their gentlemanly conduct on the ice. It is awarded annually for players who exemplify the utmost sportsmanship while maintaining the highest standard of play.
The Top Scorer of the Lady Byng Trophy Finalists
For Auston Matthews, this is a tremendous honour and recognition of his complete game. Leaf fans admire this part of Matthews’ game, but sometimes the league fails to give the recognition that’s owed. Moreover, Matthews scored 69 goals and had 107 points, to adequately fulfill the high-quality of play requirement. Furthermore, for a centre, who plays hard on the backcheck, and is always on the puck, having only 20 minutes in 2023-24 is a sign of his gentlemanly conduct. This marks the third time Matthews has been named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy.
The Feel Good Story of the Finalists
Elias Pettersson, and perhaps his Head Coach in Vancouver, Rick Tocchet, will be mutually elated by this nomination. Sometimes Pettersson experiences inconsistency in his scoring. For example, in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs thus far, he has no goals and three assists. Perhaps more alarming is his only eight shots through six games. Conversely, this is a man who put up big numbers despite his struggles, netting 34 goals and adding 55 assists on the regular season. Now with this nomination, but also the praise of his head coach on his skating and defensive play during the playoffs, Pettersson is getting more of the recognition he deserves as well.
Perhaps the League’s Most Gentlemanly Defender
Next we move on to the defenceman of the finalists, Jaccob Slavin. Anytime a defenceman is nominated for the Lady Byng, it means something special, and a good chance he’s very deserving if not ultimately walking away with the silverware. It can be very difficult to check opposing forwards in front of your net, without needing to get a little nasty at times. But don’t count on that from Slavin. He is an excellent skater and perhaps even better positionally in the defensive zone. This allows him to avoid the forecheck, and quickly break the puck out of the zone.
Statistically, in 81 games, playing 20:56 of ice time a night, he only had 8 PIMs on the season. This was all the while adding 37 points. In fact, Slavin has always played this same style. Amazingly as it sounds, he’s only had 86 PIMs in 665 career regular season games.
Stay tuned to find out who ultimately picks up the nod. But all three are worthy finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy. There will be no reigning champ, as last year’s winner, Anze Kopitar, failed to be named a finalist this time around.
Main photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
