Golden Knights hope to break curse of Presidents’ Trophy winners

Mark Stone appears to be the front-runner in the race for the Selke Trophy. Marc-Andre Fleury is hanging around in the Vezina Trophy conversation. And Shea Theodore is making a late charge at the Norris Trophy.

One award is not being talked about much for the Golden Knights, and there might be a reason for that.

Entering Monday’s action, the Knights lead the league in points (70) and points percentage (.745) with nine games remaining in the regular season. That puts them on track to earn the Presidents’ Trophy, which goes to the team that finishes with the best overall record.

But a quick Google search of “Presidents’ Trophy curse” shows some would rather not claim the top overall seed unless the Stanley Cup is riding shotgun during the victory parade.

Since the Presidents’ Trophy was first awarded for the 1985-86 season, eight winners also went on to lift the Stanley Cup. Three more lost in the final, meaning about one-third of teams that finish with the best record in the regular season play for the Stanley Cup.

That’s actually a pretty good batting average, and the top overall seed has captured five championships since 1999, more than any other seed.

However, with the divisional playoff format, the degree of difficulty for Presidents’ Trophy winners seems to be rising.

The last team to win both trophies in the same season was the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks, and no Presidents’ Trophy winner has reached the Stanley Cup Final in the past seven seasons.

During the first 22 years the trophy was given out, a little more than 40 percent of the winners reached the final and seven captured the Stanley Cup.

Before the trophy’s inception when the league went through several expansions, 11 of the 18 regular-season champions won the Stanley Cup and three more played in the final.

Boston had the best record by points and points percentage when last season was paused because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Bruins were bounced in the Eastern Conference semifinals, marking the 14th time in the past 17 seasons the Presidents’ Trophy winner failed to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

A few high-profile flameouts in the postseason haven’t helped the trophy’s reputation, either.

Seven teams lost in the first round after claiming the Presidents’ Trophy, including three in four seasons from 2009 to 2012. Tampa Bay was bounced in 2019 after it tied the NHL record with 62 wins during the regular season.

Furthermore, the four teams that produced the highest regular-season point totals since the trophy was introduced all failed to win the Stanley Cup.

The Knights would be the 18th franchise to earn the Presidents’ Trophy since its inception. None of the first-time winners went on to win the Cup, though three made the final.

That hasn’t stopped William Hill from listing the Knights as the +450 favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The Westgate sportsbook has the Knights as the co-second favorite with Toronto (+600) behind Colorado (+450).

There are benefits to winning the Presidents’ Trophy, including home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Knights are 18-4-2 at T-Mobile Arena, and the .792 points percentage is tied for fourth in the NHL with Colorado.

It also would mean avoiding a first-round playoff matchup with Minnesota and probably drawing Arizona or St. Louis, neither of which is roaring to the finish line.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.