Avalanche top-pair defenseman is the Colorado winner and national nominee for Bill Masterton Trophy, given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.
Graves, 25, is in his first full season with the Avalanche, and second overall. He was acquired in a trade of two underperforming young defensemen in February 2018, with going to the in the exchange. Graves, 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, made his NHL debut as a part-timer with Colorado last season and signed a modest, one-year, two-way contract extension worth $735,000/$350,000 last summer.
He is now partnered with rookie on the Avs’ top pairing and in position to receive a massive raise. Graves has nine goals, and is second behind Makar (12) in goals among defensemen.
Blueshirt Nation, a Rangers’ fan site, dubbed Graves “the one that got away.” Bigras, 25, has yet to make his debut with New York.
The Masterton Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, which has six other awards, including the Hart Trophy as league MVP. The Masterton is named after the former University of Denver star center who died Jan. 15, 1968, as a direct result of injuries sustained while playing for the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars.
