"League is rigged so it's going to Bedard" "Luke Hughes is a bum": NHL fans react to the 2024 Calder Trophy top finalists

The NHL announced the finalists for the 2024 Calder Trophy, awarded to the league's most outstanding rookie player. This year's finalists are Chicago Blackhawks' Connor Bedard, Minnesota Wild's Brock Faber and New Jersey Devils' Luke Hughes.

While all three players have had impressive debut seasons, fans on social media shared their opinions on who they believe deserves the award.

One fan wrote:

“League is rigged so it’s going to Bedard.”

Another fan commented:

"Vronkov snubbed, Luke Hughes is a bum." has also sparked debate among hockey enthusiasts.

Hughes, the younger brother of Vancouver Canucks star Quinn Hughes and New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, has had an impressive rookie campaign.

Here are some fan reactions to the Calder Trophy nominees:

"Luke hughes is a last name merchant." another fan wrote on X.

"You would hope this is close between Faber and Bedard but it won't be. Faber is going to be so sick." a user wrote.

"Should be Faber but will be bedard." another user wrote.

"I would jump on Bedard for being the NHLs favorite son but Luke is really skating in on his name here" a fan wrote.

As the hockey world awaits the announcement of the 2024 Calder Memorial Trophy winner, fans will continue to debate the merits of each finalist.

Calder Trophy finalists’ stats: Connor Bedard, Brock Faber, and Luke Hughes

Connor Bedard, the highly-touted No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, lived up to the hype by leading all rookies in goals (22) and points (61) despite missing 14 games due to a broken jaw. The 18-year-old center also led rookie forwards in ice time per game (19:47) and the Blackhawks in points.

If Bedard wins, he would become the 10th Blackhawks player to receive the Calder Trophy award and the first since Artemi Panarin in 2015-16.

Brock Faber, a 21-year-old defenseman, matched Hughes by accumulating 47 points (eight goals, 39 assists) across all 82 games, ranking them second among rookies. He dominated rookie statistics by leading in average ice time per game at 24:58 and in blocked shots with a total of 150.

Faber also topped all first-year defensemen with 136 shots on goal and 31 even-strength points. If Faber wins, he will join Kirill Kaprizov (2020–21) as the only Wild player to receive the Calder Trophy.

Luke Hughes, a 20-year-old defenseman, played all 82 games for the Devils. He was the top rookie defenseman in both power-play points (25) and power-play goals (four), and he also ranked second among rookie defensemen in shots (135) and average ice time per game (21:28).

If Hughes wins, he would become the third Devils player to receive the Calder Trophy award and the first since Scott Gomez in 1999-2000.