No matter what happens at tonight’s NHL Awards and Expansion Draft in Las Vegas, the San Jose Sharks will make history.

Defenseman Brent Burns could become the first player in franchise history to win the Norris Trophy and/or the Ted Lindsay Award, and just the second to win the Hart Trophy, even if precedent may not be on his side for the latter award.  Still, Burns is the odds-on favorite among bookmakers at Bovada, and was the unanimous choice by our staff.

Unlike Burns’ candidacies, the Sharks are guaranteed to lose a player to the Vegas Golden Knights in tonight’s Expansion Draft, most likely a defenseman. The soon-to-be Golden Knight will be the first player the organization has lost in the Expansion Draft since the Minnesota Wild selected Chris Armstrong and Michal Bros in 2000, although neither ever played a game for the Sharks.

How to watch the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft & NHL Awards

8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT | Wednesday, June 21

T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

American TV: NBCSN | Canadian TV: Sportsnet

Live streaming on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

2017 NHL Expansion Draft Rules

• Vegas will take one player — no more, or no less — from each existing team.
• They must select at least 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goalies.
• 20 of the 30 players must be under contract in 2017-18.
• The cap hit of all players selected in the Expansion Draft must be somewhere between $43.8 million and $73 million./

2017 NHL Awards Finalists

• Hart Trophy (league MVP): Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Sergei Bobrovsky.
• Norris Trophy (best defenseman): Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman
• Vezina Trophy (best goaltender): Sergei Bobrovsky, Braden Holtby, Carey Price.
• Calder Trophy (top rookie): Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski.
• Selke Trophy (best defensive forward): Ryan Kesler, Patrice Bergeron, Mikko Koivu.
• Lady Byng Trophy (most gentlemanly forward): Johnny Gaudreau, Vladimir Tarasenko, Mikael Granlund.
• Masterton Trophy (dedication / perseverance): Craig Anderson, Andrew Cogliano, Derek Ryan.
• NHL Foundation Award (community service): Wayne Simmonds, Travis Hamonic.
• Mark Messier Leadership Award: Nick Foligno, Ryan Getzlaf, Mark Giordano.
• Ted Lindsay Award (MVP as voted by the players): Brent Burns, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid.
• Jack Adams Award (best coach): Mike Babcock, Todd McLellan, John Tortorella.
• General Manager of the Year: Peter Chiarelli, Pierre Dorion, David Poile. /

2017 NHL Awards Odds (via Bovada)

• Hart: Connor McDavid (2/13), Sidney Crosby (4/1), Sergei Bobrovsky (11/1).
• Norris: Brent Burns (1/5), Erik Karlsson (5/2), Victor Hedman (25/1).
• Vezina: Sergei Bobrovsky (1/4), Braden Holtby (11/5), Carey Price (22/1).
• Calder: Auston Matthews (1/20), Patrik Laine (11/2), Zach Werenski (18/1).
• Selke: Ryan Kesler (5/7), Patrice Bergeron (7/4), Mikko Koivu (15/4).
• Lady Byng: Johnny Gaudreau (1/1), Vladimir Tarasenko (1/1), Mikael Granlund (4/1)
• Jack Adams: Ryan Kesler (5/7), Patrice Bergeron (7/4), Mikko Koivu (15/4)./