It's said that an NHL team doesn't win the Stanley Cup in the first month of the season. But can a player win an NHL award in that span?

There's plenty of runway left for dramatic shifts in statistics and the standings. But this is the time of year when narratives are planted in the minds of awards voters. An 18-year-old rookie sensation who reenergizes a franchise in his first dozen games isn't all that far off from a film playing to standing ovations at Cannes, months before becoming an Oscar nominee.

First impressions matter, and the inaugural NHL Awards Watch of the 2025-26 season is a good indication of how impressed the voters currently are with the early field of contenders.

We've polled a wide selection of Professional Hockey Writers Association voters anonymously to get a sense

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