Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon and Artemi Panarin were named finalists for the Hart Trophy on Tuesday.The award, voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, is given annually to the NHL player voted to be most valuable to his team. The winner will be announced during the Conference Finals or before the Stanley Cup Final.
Draisaitl led the NHL with 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games when the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The 24-year-old Edmonton Oilers center also was first in points per game (1.55), assists and power-play points (44), and was first among forwards in ice time per game (22:37). He tied Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak for first in game-winning goals (10), and his 66 even-strength points (Panarin, 71) and 16 power-play goals (Pastrnak, 20) were second. Draisaitl had 33 multipoint games, and at least one point in 56 games.
Edmonton was 24-5-2 when Draisaitl scored a goal this season and 13-20-7 when he didn’t.
Video: WPG@EDM: Draisaitl buries McDavid’s feed for PPG
Draisaitl helped the Oilers go 37-25-9 (.585 points percentage) and advance to the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. As the fifth seed in the Western Conference, Edmonton will play the No. 12 Chicago Blackhawks (32-30-8, .514) in a best-of-5 series, with the winning team advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs..
Draisaitl would be the fourth different Oilers player to win the award and first since center Connor McDavid in 2016-17.
MacKinnon finished fifth in the League with 93 points (35 goals, 58 assists) in 69 games, and third in even-strength points (62). The 24-year-old Colorado Avalanche center had 29 multipoint games, and at least one point in 53 games. He helped the Avalanche to the second-best record in the Western Conference (42-20-8, .657 points percentage) and they will play in the round-robin of the Cup Qualifiers along with the St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars to determine the top four seeds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Video: COL@SJS: MacKinnon hammers one-timer for PPG
It’s the second time MacKinnon is a Hart finalist; he was the runner-up to Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils in 2017-18. MacKinnon would be the third player in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to win the award and first since Peter Forsberg with the Avalanche in 2002-03. Joe Sakic won the Hart with the Avalanche in 2000-01.
MacKinnon was named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy on July 16. The award, voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, is given annually to the NHL player who best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability.
Panarin, who signed a seven-year contract with the New York Rangers on July 1, 2019, tied Pastrnak for third in the League with 95 points (32 goals, 63 assists) in 69 games. The 28-year-old forward ranked first in the League in even-strength points (71) and first among forwards in plus/minus (plus-36). He had at least one point in 54 games, including 28 multipoint games.
He helped the Rangers to a 37-28-5 record (.564 points percentage). As the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference, New York will play the Carolina Hurricanes (38-25-5, .596) in the Qualifiers.
Panarin would be the fifth Rangers player to win the award and first since Mark Messier in 1991-92.
Draisaitl, MacKinnon and Panarin were each named finalists for the Ted Lindsay award on July 14. The award is given annually to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy last season.
The 2020 NHL Awards had been scheduled for June 18 in Las Vegas but were postponed March 25.
Video: NYR@NYI: Panarin buries the feed from Lindgren
