The NHL announced Wednesday the finalists for the 2019-20 Calder Trophy are Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

A Vancouver player could win the award, which is given to league's Rookie of the Year, for the second straight year after Elias Pettersson earned the honor for the 2018-19 season.

Meanwhile, the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given to the NHL's top coach, are the Boston Bruins' Bruce Cassidy, Columbus Blue Jackets' John Tortorella and Philadelphia Flyers' Alain Vigneault:

Hughes and Makar have enjoyed strong rookie seasons on the blue line, and there's no clear favorite after the regular season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.

Here's a look at a comparison between the standout defenders:

• Hughes: 68 GP, 8 goals, 45 assists, 53 points
• Makar: 57 GP, 12 goals, 38 assists, 50 points

Although they have been at the forefront of the Calder conversation for most of the season, Kubalik used a late surge to make himself a worthy finalist. He tallied 28 points (19 goals and nine assists) in 29 games after the calendar flipped to 2020. He'd recorded 18 points in 39 appearances from October through December.

"I'm not even thinking about it," Kubalik told Michael Traikos of the Toronto Sun about the Calder Trophy in January. "I remember my first year in the Czech league when I first started scoring goals. Media and people around me were saying 'Maybe you're going to be the goalscorer of the year.' Then for the next 10 games, I didn't play well. I was overthinking it."

His charge was halted by the coronavirus pandemic, which stopped play March 12, but he still finished his rookie year with 30 goals in 68 games.

Cassidy headlines the Jack Adams race after the Bruins were the only team to reach 100 points before the regular season came to a premature end. Their 44-26-16 record left them six points ahead of their closest competition, the reigning Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues (94 points).

Tortorella and Vigneault are both previous winners of the award.

The Blue Jackets head coach took home the honor in 2016-17 as well as in 2003-04 while with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flyers bench boss won it in 2006-07 with the Canucks.

Both of their teams qualified for the 24-team playoff structure created by the NHL for its restart plans, with play scheduled to resume Aug. 1.

The NHL Awards were scheduled to take place June 18 but were postponed. They are now expected to be announced during the conference finals round of the postseason.