Now just two days away, the NHL season brings renewed optimism for 30 teams, 30 coaches, 30 fan bases and hundreds of players. It's a clean slate before the 82-game marathon starts humbling just about everyone.It's a long way to go from October to April. Even further to June when the Stanley Cup champion is crowned. Longer still before we find out who wins the NHL's individual awards. That seems like too long to wait around for a whole season and actual games to be played.While our division standings and Stanley Cup predictions come down Tuesday, here's a look at each of the major NHL awards including the three top contenders, one dark horse candidate and a brief summary of the rest of the field. 1. , : It would seem like picking against Crosby at this point is just overthinking it. There are going to be some factors that make it tougher for Crosby to repeat, like playing under a new system and coach, but the Penguins captain was just so far ahead of everyone else last season. After his 104 points led the league by 17 in 2013-14, staying healthy is probably Richard Fitts Jersey all that remains to be determined this season. At age 27, Crosby is still the game's best player and the gap only seems to be widening. 2. , : This could be a big year in Tampa overall. The roster is improved in all the areas it needed from a season ago. That sets the table for Stamkos to not only produce, but for one of the first times in his career, produce for a contender. The only real concern at this point is how close Stamkos is to 100 percent after mi sing 45 games last season due to a broken leg. It sounds like he's almost back to full strength after a long offseason to rehab. Not having feeding him the puck anymore could be somewhat detrimental, but if Stamkos keeps his shot totals up, another 60-goal season could be on the way.3. , : This might be a bit off the board, but over the past two seasons it has become readily apparent that Kane has found another gear in his game. He may not even be the best player on his team, but this could be the year that Kane puts up some MVP-like numbers. He was a point-per-game player last season, but mi sed 13 games and finished with 69 points. He did that despite spending a lot of the year with Michal Handzus as his center. Kane's numbers spiked when he was away from Handzus, who is no longer with the team. Now Kane gets and likely maintains linemate . As Jonathan Toews eats the toughest competition, Kane and the second line could be left to feast on the next tier. Also, if Kane did manage to win the Hart, he would be the first American-born player to do so.Dark horse: , . It's really difficult for goalies to win the Hart, but Rask has as good a chance as any active netminder. Perhaps he gets downgraded because the team in front of him is so good, but Rask's .930 save percentage last season says an awful lot about his impact on a contending team. To win the Hart, Rask would have to put up even bigger numbers, but he continues to look more comfortable as a No. 1 in the NHL. He's right in the middle of what should be his golden years in the league. Rest of the field: , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , Chicago Blackhawks; , 1. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins: This is going to look like an East Coast bias thing with all Eastern Conference goalies. But to be quite honest, I think the East goalies might have it a little easier than their Western counterparts (also, I live west of the Mi si sippi). That gives them a better shot at winning this thing. Rask could win the Vezina for all the reasons listed above for why he's an MVP dark horse. Having an impact during another big year from the Bruins would only be more impre sive this time around because of the cap-forced roster turnover taking some depth away from Boston.2. , : Price has surprisingly never been a finalist for the Vezina, but that should change in 2014-15. Coming out of what was a spectacular 2013-14, which included a 34-20-5 record, .927 save percentage and 2.32 goals-against average and an Olympic gold medal, that could have been Price's signature season as a pro. However, injuries from the Olympics and later during the Eastern Conference finals took some of the shine off. With a better defense in front of him this season and as long as he stays healthy, Price's age-27 season could be his best yet. It's going to be fun to watch him and Rask duel. 3. , : Over the past three years, the only goalie with at least 100 appearances with a better save percentage than Schneider is Rask. Schneider has a .928 mark in 108 appearances, while Rask has a .929 save percentage in 117. That's not a big games-played gap there. Now Schneider gets the crease all to himself for the first time in his career. Without much support in front of him last season, Schneider's record was middle of the road at 16-15-12, but he also had a .921 save percentage and 1.97 goals-against average. To finally have the chance to get in a rhythm and stay in one could go a long way for Schneider. The Devils are going to have a younger defense in front of him, which will make things challenging, but the forwards are deeper and could aid the po sesion game. That said, Schneider has the ability to carry this Devils team into the postseason. If he does, he's going to get a long look for this award.Dark horse: , Dallas Stars. With all the moves the Stars made this summer, the optimism couldn't be higher. As important as Dallas' scoring attack will be, Lehtonen could be the key to turning this club into a legitimate contender. The Stars' defense is shallow, so that's going to require Lehtonen to be sharp. It may be important to the Stars to get him some more rest this season as he has been the fourth-busiest goalie in the NHL over the past four seasons with 229 apperances. He had a league-high 65 last season while posting a .919 save percentage. Lehtonen has been underrated throughout his career, probably because of where he has played, but if he helps the Stars take that next step this season, he's going to get a lot of extra attention.Rest of the field: , ; , ; , ; , 1. , : Weber has been a top-10 finisher in voting in each of the past six years and has been a top-three finalist on three occasions over that span. The 29-year-old captain of the Preds now has a new coach for the first time in his NHL career. It will be interesting to see what Peter Laviolette's arrival will do to Weber's numbers one way or another, but the veteran defenseman is coming off a career year with 23 goals, 33 a sists and 56 points. He is the Predators' leader on offense and defense and remains an all-world talent even if his po se sion numbers aren't the best. Maybe this subtle change does enough to his game to put him over the top and win his first Norris.2. , Los Angeles Kings: After being lauded as one of the best defensemen in the game during the 2014 playoffs, maybe Norris voters will start looking beyond Doughty's point totals, which are certainly below Norris standards. Considering the all-around game Doughty plays, he has only been a Norris finalist once in his career, his 59-point sophomore campaign in 2009-10. The po se sion machine is a big part of what makes the Kings succe sful and it seems like the postseason may have opened more eyes that points aren't everything when evaluating Doughty's true impact.3. , Montreal Canadiens: The 2013 Norris Winner didn't get much love from voters last season despite posting a career-best 53 points and 43 a sists. Production aside, Subban showed why he remains among the elites in the game during the postseason. He was just a machine at both ends of the ice, putting up 14 points in 17 games. Now he's one of the highest-paid players in the game and has no off-ice distractions like looming arbitration and extension talks. It's just hockey and that's bad news for the rest of the NHL. At just 25 years old, Subban is surging into this next phase of his career. Dark horse(s): , New York Rangers; , Tampa Bay Lightning. Putting this list together reminded me of just how loaded the NHL is with good young defensemen. These two are among the fastest rising of those youngsters. McDonagh is coming off a star turn for the Rangers during the Stanley Cup Final run. His points per game have gone up every year, his responsibility grows every year and every year, he has done pretty much everything that has been asked of him well. For Hedman, he now has help on what was a shallow blue line. The 23-year-old exploded for 55 points last season and should be even better with more support this year.Rest of the field: , ; , ; , Chicago Blackhawks; , Boston Bruins; , 1. , Washington Capitals: With the benefit of 17 NHL games last season, the 22-year-old Ru sian star retained his Calder eligibility but got a head start on the rest of the field. The former 26th overall pick appears slated for a role centering the Capitals' second line, which is a lot of responsibility to take on. Having been a standout offensive performer in the KHL for the past five years should help smooth the transition for Kuznetsov. In that 17-game stint, the skilled center had three goals and six a sists. The Caps need him to be an impact player this season. 2. , Tampa Bay Lightning: Had he not mi sed all of training camp and had the injury he sustained not been to his hand, Drouin would have been my No. 1 with a bullet. Because of those minor concerns, it seems po sible that Drouin's season could get off to a slow start. A magician with the puck, he put together back-to-back 100-point seasons in the QMJHL. He's also joining the Lightning at the exact right time. They don't need him to be the guy right away, which allows head coach Jon Cooper to put Drouin in advantageous situations more often than not. As a result, this 19-year-old phenom could put up some serious points.3. , Anaheim Ducks: Considering that he and are going to split the job at least to start the season, picking Gibson here is a bit of a leap. He showed some great flashes last season, but seeing him extrapolate that performance over 40ish appearances is asking a lot of a 21-year-old goalie. Gibson has excelled everywhere he has been, but in order to win the Calder, he's probably going to have to win the starting job or at least put up dynamite numbers while sharing the duties.Dark horse: , . Continually doubted due to his size, Gaudreau has toe-dragged right around every detractor in his way. After winning the Hobey Baker as college hockey's top player last year with 80 points in 40 games at Boston College, Gaudreau has dazzled at times in the preseason. He also starred at the recent World Championship, showing that he can handle pro defenders. The Flames are going to be wise to be careful with him, but they already burned a year off his entry-level contract with the one game he played at the end of last season. He has shown enough skill to prove that he belongs, but he has to find a way to stay on the everyday roster. Without knowing just how careful Calgary will be with the 21-year-old human highlight reel, he has the dark horse spot, but if he sticks the whole year, he has a real shot to put forth a special rookie season. Rest of the field: , Nashville Predators; , Florida Panthers; , Art Ro s (points): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh PenguinsRocket Richard (goals): Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay LightningJack Adams (coach): Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay LightningSelke (defensive forward): , Boston Bruins Travis Shaw Jersey