Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon on Tuesday was named one of three finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award, which is given “to the most outstanding player in the NHL,… in voting by fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association.
The other finalists are Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin.
The winner will be announced during the conference finals at date to be determined.
MacKinnon was fifth in the league in scoring with 93 points (35 goals, 58 assists) in 69 games. He missed the regular-season finale against the Rangers on March 11 because of a lower-body injury.
MacKinnon also was a finalist for the award in 2017-18; Edmonton’s Connor McDavid won the award that year.
The finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award are in!
— NHL (@NHL) July 14, 2020
This year it's Leon Draisaitl, Nathan Mackinnon (@Mackinnon9) and @artemiypanarin who are up for most outstanding player, as voted by the @NHLPA.
MORE: https://t.co/XE9sKjmwTr pic.twitter.com/Ep8yEKAGwd
MacKinnon had 29 multi-point games with a point in 53 of 69 games. The Avalanche went 42-20-8 for a .657 points percentage to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season. They’ll play St. Louis, Dallas and Vegas in round-robin games to determine the top four seeds in the Western Conference.
MacKinnon would be the second player in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to win the award. Joe Sakic, now Colorado’s general manager, won in 2000-01.
2019-20 Ted Lindsay Award finalist: Nathan MacKinnon@Mackinnon9 led the @Avalanche in scoring with 35-58—93 this season, owning a 43-point advantage over his next-closest teammate. https://t.co/ujoPgn0RM0 #NHLAwards #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/fUnwRbzyIT
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 14, 2020
Draisaitl led the league with 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games. The Oilers, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, will play 12th-seeded Chicago in a qualifying round, with the winner moving on to the playoffs.
Panarin, in his first season with the Rangers, had 95 points (32 goals, 63 assists) in 69 games to tie Boston’s David Pastrnak for third in the league in scoring. New York, the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference, will play sixth-seeded Carolina in a qualifying round.