Nashville Predators' Michael McCarron nominated for Masterton Award
Michael McCarron is not only having a career year for the Nashville Predators, he's now been nominated for the 2024 Masterton Trophy.
The Masterton Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport of hockey. The winner is selected by a poll of all chapters of the Professional Hockey Writer's Association at the end of the season.
The Nashville chapter of the PHWA nominated McCarron for this year's award after nominating Cody Glass in 2023. Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang won the 2023 Masterton at the NHL Awards held in Nashville.
The bio submitted on McCarron's behalf for this year's award reads as follows:
A 2013 first-round pick of Montreal, Michael McCarron could never stick with the Canadiens for very long and spent most of his time with the organization in the AHL. After a 2020 trade to Nashville, he again was shuffled back and forth between the big club and Milwaukee. McCarron admitted that all the back and forth was tough on him and he could have given up hockey many times. In mid-December 2022, McCarron entered the NHL/NHLPA players assistance program. After completing it, he spent a couple of more months in Milwaukee before being recalled late last season. He signed a one-year deal and has set career highs in goals and assists, and earned a new two-year, one-way contract. “You don’t think the same when your head’s not right,” he said. “I’m having the breakout year of my career and I think a big part of it is because of that.”
McCarron already has career highs in goals (12) and assists (10) this season for the Predators. He has been a mainstay on the fourth line for Nashville, playing center between Kiefer Sherwood and Cole Smith most of the season.
In January, McCarron signed a two year extension with the Predators, keeping him in Nashville through 2026.
The 2024 NHL Awards will be announced in Las Vegas on June 26.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators' Michael McCarron nominated for Masterton Award
