It may seem counterintuitive to give this honor to a player who's just recently returned to the ice after a long contract holdout and accompanying drama. But Ryan O'Reilly is that good, and getting better. Last year he scored more goals (eighteen), registered more assists (37) and notched more points (55) than he did during any previous season, and if there were statistics for a will to win, he would have led the Avalanche in that category, too. Given these achievements, we don't blame him for waiting to skate until he was offered a salary commensurate with his talent — something that didn't happen until he forced the issue by signing an offer sheet with the Calgary Flames in February. Kudos to Avs management for matching that deal — because we wouldn't want to see O'Reilly wearing any other squad's sweater.