Wild offseason about to pick up after NHL awards

The Wild has been mostly quiet since its season ended in April.

Aside from some minor maneuvering (front-office shuffling and a few signings), it's been a ho-hum summer so far.

But the offseason is set to pick up this weekend with the draft Friday and Saturday in Vancouver. The Wild currently has eight picks, including No.12. Check out the Star Tribune tomorrow for a preview of what to expect from the team in the first round.

Also, don't forget to catch up with Bobby Brink in this story. Brink, from Minnetonka, will mostly likely be the first Minnesotan to be drafted this year, probably in the first round. Here's the list of all Minnesotans ranked by NHL Central Scouting.

Before turning its attention to next season, the NHL put a bow on 2018-19 Wednesday by handing out its annual awards in Las Vegas.

Wild winger Jason Zucker was on hand, receiving the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his leadership and humanitarian work. The recognition coincides with uncertainty for Zucker, as he remains a trade candidate for the Wild and could be moved this weekend at the draft. Zucker spoke about coping with the rumors in this story, which also highlights his King Clancy win.

There were few surprises with the other winners.

The New York Islanders were also in the spotlight. Barry Trotz nabbed the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year, Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss were recognized with the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltending duo that gave up the fewest goals in the regular season and Lehner also captured the Bill Masteron Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Lehner had his best season in 2018-19 after opening up about his addiction and mental health issues. His acceptance speech was brilliant and worth watching. Check it out here.

Ballots for all awards were released on the Professional Hockey Writers Association website. Below is how I voted. Winners are bolded.

Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
John Carlson, Washington Capitals
Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs

Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild
Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
Ryan O'Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames

Ryan O'Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Mikael Backlund, Calgary Flames
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes

Center – Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Right wing – Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks. Mitchell Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs.

Left wing – Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins.

Goaltender – Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights. Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs.

Forward – Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks. Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators. Andreas Johnsson, Toronto Maple Leafs. (Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning.)

Defense – Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres.