Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Panarin up for Lindsay award

Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers are finalists for the 2019-20 Ted Lindsay Award, which is voted on by the NHL Players' Association.

The Ted Lindsay Award, known as the Lester B. Pearson Award until 2010, has been given annually since 1970 to "the most outstanding player in the NHL" regular season as determined by his peers.

All three players are seeking their first Lindsay award. MacKinnon was a finalist in 2017-18, but this is the first nomination for Draisaitl and Panarin.

Draisaitl, 24, won the Art Ross Trophy for the league's leading scorer with 110 points in 71 games, including 43 goals. The Oilers center led the NHL in points per game (1.55), assists (67), power-play points (44) and average ice time among forwards (22:37) and tied for first in game-winning goals (10).

MacKinnon, 24, led all NHL players in shots on goal (318). His 93 points ranked fifth in league scoring and was 43 points more than his closest teammate. MacKinnon was third in even-strength points (62), fourth in power-play points (31) and tied for fifth in points per game (1.35). He finished with 93 points in 69 games, including 35 goals.

Panarin, 28, was tied for third in scoring with 95 points in 69 games, finishing 20 points ahead of the next-highest scorer on the Rangers. He led all NHL players in even-strength points (71), tied for second in assists (63) and placed third in points per game (1.38).

Among the players who didn't make the cut were David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins, who tied for the league lead in goals with 48 tallies in 70 games, and Connor McDavid of the Oilers, who was second in the NHL with 97 points. He won the award in 2017 and 2018 and was a finalist last season.

The winner of the Ted Lindsay Award will be announced during the conference finals in the NHL's postseason, which will feature 24 teams playing in Toronto and Edmonton, two "bubble" cities, beginning on Aug. 1. The NHL season was paused on March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.