Will the NHL have a 26-year-old Calder Trophy candidate this year?

The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to have a potential challenger for the Calder Trophy in the lineup in 2021-22, but it may not be the guy who everyone thought that it might be.

While expectations remain very high for 20-year-old Leafs prospect Nick Robertson, early projections have the young sniper AHL-bound to begin the season. So then who is the Leafs' Calder Trophy candidate? It is none other than 26-year-old Michael Bunting.

Fresh off of a preseason contest against the Ottawa Senators that saw Bunting record a hat trick on Wednesday, Bunting is having himself a strong camp, and is well on his way to securing a role in the Leafs' top-six - at least to start the season.

But how is it that a 26-year-old would even qualify for an award that honors the league's top rookie performer? Well, it's actually quite impressive how many targets that he needed to avoid to qualify.

First, he played just 21 NHL games last season, scoring 10 goals and 13 points over that span. Had the Scarborough, Ontario native played over 25, he would have been ruled ineligible.

The second qualifier is that a player cannot play 6 NHL games in consecutive seasons - which Bunting did not.

The final qualifier is that if a player turns 26 prior to September 15th, he would be deemed ineligible. Bunting turned 26 just two days later on September 17th.

While it's not a foregone conclusion that Bunting will even be in the running for the award this season - given the large list of strong contenders including Cole Caufield, Spencer Knight, Marco Rossi, Quinton Byfield and Trevor Zegras - you cannot discount the edge that a more mature player might have, especially playing with a team whose offense is as potent as the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Former Calder Trophy winners Artemiy Panarin and Kirill Kaprizov were definitely criticized for winning the award due to their advanced ages at the time at 24 and 23 - but if Bunting manages to do the same at 26, I can't imagine that it will be long until the rules for eligibility are reviewed and changed to reflect a more accurate portrayal of what a rookie truly is.

MUST READ

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Vancouver Canucks' Contract Offer to Brock Boeser Leaks Publicly

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Montreal Canadiens Star Undergoes Season-Ending Knee Surgery

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Philadelphia Flyers Officially Looking to Trade Former 39-Goal Scorer

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Evander Kane May Be in His Final Days in Edmonton After Friedman Reveals New Information

Feb 28  |  By Mike Whitaker Maple Leafs Forward Pulls Back Trade Request

Feb 27  |  By Mike Whitaker Brad Marchand Goes Viral for Passionate Video Ahead of Four Nations Faceoff Final

Feb 27  |  By Mike Whitaker David Pastrnak's Latest Comments Suggest Bruins Will Be Big Sellers at the Deadline

Feb 27  |  By Julien Trekker 6-Foot-6 Winger Linked to the New York Rangers at the Trade Deadline

MORE STORIES