The 2024-25 Calder Trophy field was absolutely stacked. You had 2024 1st-overall pick Macklin Celebrini tearing it up with the San Jose Sharks as an 18-year-old. Lane Hutson scored at a rate exceptional for not just rookies, but defensemen in general, which won him the award in the end. Matvei Michkov displayed unreal talent and skill, scoring the most goals of all rookies despite the difficulty of dealing with head coach John Tortorella. And of course, there was goaltender Dustin Wolf, who nearly carried a mediocre Calgary Flames team to a playoff berth on the back of his exceptional play.
This coming season's early Calder candidates, however, are not nearly as flashy.
Ivan Demidov is the clear, runaway favorite across betting sites. He flashed at the end of last season with the Montreal Canadiens, registering a goal and an assist in the last two games of the regular season, and two points in the Habs' five-game playoff bid against the Washington Capitals. Demidov looks like a star in the making, and it's no shock that he's the favorite.
Behind Demidov is fellow Russian Alexander Nikishin, a defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes. Then, tied for third in the odds at time of writing, there's defenseman Zayne Parekh of the Calgary Flames and winger Ryan Leonard of the Washington Capitals. Both have star-level potential and should have the opportunity to have an immediate impact at the NHL level--Leonard, in particular, is joining a Caps team that's already shown it's quite good.
Fourth in the odds, though? St. Louis's own Jimmy Snuggerud. He's not a favorite, but he's absolutely in the mix--and there's no reason to believe he can't at least be a Calder finalist. Snuggerud has to make the team out of camp, of course, but considering his excellent run at the end of last season, expectations for the young winger are quite high. If Snuggerud can pop 25 goals and make an impact outside the scoresheet, he'll absolutely get votes.
Of course, winning the Calder isn't everything, either. If Snuggerud has a merely good season, instead of an award-worthy one, that's fine, too. Development isn't linear, and not every player lights up the league as a rookie--nor do rookie flames always burn forever. Still, a Calder chase is an exciting narrative to add to the Blues' playoff hopes, and Snuggerud has the tools to get the attention of voters.