Whether the Calder Trophy is in Kyle Connor's future remains to be seen, but the 21-year-old rookie forward will finish his first full NHL season with one noteworthy distinction.
Connor scored his 31st of the season Saturday in the Jets' finale. Barring a last-second flurry from Blackhawks rookie Alex DeBrincat, or some other unforeseen, unprecedented scoring outburst from another first-year player, Connor will finish the season with the most goals among the NHL's rookie class.
Connor, who started the season in the AHL, was recalled early in the season following some injuries up front for Winnipeg, and has more than carved out a role for himself. The 17th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft bounced between the minors and the main club a year ago, playing 20 games with the Jets, but has been a mainstay this season.
While it's been an impressive season do doubt for Connor, his rank among NHL rookies in goals has been aided by a key injury. It was three days ago that Connor scored his 30th goal of the season, passing Vancouver Canucks rookies Brock Boeser, who has been out since March 5 with a back injury, held out of the Canucks final 16 games of the season. (The goal on Saturday for Connor was also his 56th point of the season, passing Boeser for third among NHL rookies).
The two players ahead of Connor on that list, Mathew Barzal (83 points) and Clayton Keller (65 points) are considered the Calder favorites.