The National Hockey League Players’ Association has announced its finalists for the 2019 Ted Lindsay Award, which is given “to the most outstanding player in the NHL,” as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA.
The 2019 nominees are Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers. McDavid has won the award the last two years.
Formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, the TLA will be presented less than four months after the passing of its namesake and NHLPA pioneer, Ted Lindsay.
The winner will be announced on June 19 (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN) at the 2019 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.
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The Case For Patrick Kane: He led the Blackhawks in goals (44), assists (66) and points (110), and tied Kucherov for the second-most even-strength points (80) in the NHL. This past season was the second time Kane has topped each of the 40-goal, 60-assist and 100-point marks. The last time he did that was the 2015-16, which saw him win the Lindsay that year, making him the only player in franchise history to receive the award.
The Case For Nikita Kucherov: Kucherov helped the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning tie a league-best record of 62 wins, while capturing his first Art Ross Trophy. He scored a career-high 128 points to set a new single-season scoring record for the most by a Russian-born player, topping Alexander Mogilny’s 127 points from 1992-93. His 87 assists also led the NHL and tied the single-season record for the most by a winger (Jaromir Jagr, 1995-96). Kucherov could become the first Lightning player to receive the award since Martin St. Louis (2003-04).
The Case For Connor McDavid: McDavid led the Oilers (116 points), setting a career high in the process. He tied his goal total (41) from 2017-18 to finish sixth in the NHL. His 75 assists ranked second in the league and set a new career-high. If he wins the award, McDavid will become the first three-time recipient before the age of 23, and the first player to be deemed most outstanding by his peers in three consecutive seasons since Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10).
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MORE 2019 NHL AWARD FINALISTS:
• Selke Trophy
• Lady Bing Trophy
• Masteron Trophy
• Norris Trophy
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.