Why The NHL's Three Ted Lindsay Award Finalists Each Deserve To Win
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, Avs defenseman Cale Makar and Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Nikita Kucherov are all up for the award, which goes to the "most outstanding player" of the season as judged by their peers in the NHLPA.
All three players up for this award are currently in the Stanley Cup playoffs and have won the Cup at least once within the last five years.
MacKinnon won the Ted Lindsay last year, becoming the second member of the Avalanche to win the award since Joe Sakic in 2001. The 29-year-old also picked up a Hart Trophy last season.
This season, Kucherov won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the NHL in points with 121. It's the second straight time he won the award and the third time in his career. As for the Ted Lindsay, Kucherov took the award home before in 2019. Since then, Leon Draisaitl has been the last European to win the Ted Lindsay Award in 2020.
MacKinnon and Kucherov have been neck and neck for the past three seasons, never finishing a season more than five points away from each other. They are also typically up for the same awards and accomplishments, including this year's Ted Lindsay.
Both have been exceptional for their respective teams this season. Kucherov led his team in scoring, with the next guy, Brandon Hagel, having 31 fewer points than him.
Incredibly, Kucherov's 37 goals and 84 assists this season don't hold a candle to his 44 goals and 100 assists last season. He's been Tampa Bay's MVP and a legit contender for the Hart Trophy. He was also voted as the best playmaker in the league, according to the NHLPA's player poll.
MacKinnon has had nearly as impressive a campaign as Kucherov. He scored 32 goals and matched Kucherov's 84 assists for 116 points on the season. He led all forwards in the NHL for ice time during the regular season, averaging 22:47 per game.
Not only does he have a lot of responsibility for his play on the ice, but he has also elevated his game as a leader since captain Gabriel Landeskog was absent for nearly three years with an injury. MacKinnon is also known for his game-changing speed.
Makar, MacKinnon's teammate, is also up for this award. On Tuesday, he was revealed as one of the three finalists for the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL. In the NHLPA's player poll, he was also considered the best D-man in the NHL.
The Avs blueliner has never been a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award. In fact, Makar could be the second defenseman to ever win the Ted Lindsay and the first since Bobby Orr in 1975.
He led all D-men in scoring, recording 30 goals and 92 points from the back end. The 26-year-old finished third in the league in average ice time at 25:43. Only his fellow Norris nominees, Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski, averaged more ice time than he did.
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