The Colorado Avalanche are facing elimination in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But they are racking up nominations for regular-season awards. Cale Makar has already been nominated for the Norris Trophy and picked up a nomination for the Ted Lindsay Award on Wednesday. His Avalanche teammate Nathan MacKinnon and Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov are the other nominees.
The Ted Lindsay Award is given to the Most Outstanding Player, as voted on by members of the NHL Players’ Association. MacKinnon won it last year for the first time, in conjunction with the Hart Trophy, League MVP voted on by the media. Kucherov won the Lindsay for his 2018-19 season, when he also won the Hart. Makar has never won either award.
If Makar wins the Ted Lindsay Award, he would be the first defenseman to win the title since 1975. Bobby Orr won the title, then called the Lester B. Pearson Award, and is the only defenseman to ever win it. Makar scored 30 goals this year and ended with 92 points, both career highs. It would be the third win in Avalanche history, joining Joe Sakic and MacKinnon.
The Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Trophy have gone to the same player every year since 2018. Taylor Hall won the Hart and Connor McDavid won the Lindsay that year. The Avalanche may split the awards this year if one of MacKinnon or Makar wins this one and the other takes home the Hart.
The most notable omissions from the finalists are Connor Hellebuyck and Leon Draisaitl. Hellebucyk, the Winnipeg Jets goalie, is expected to win his third Vezina Trophy and could be the first goalie MVP since 2015. Draisaitl was considered a Hart favorite until the final weeks, when he got hurt.
Hart Trophy nominees come out on Thursday. Avalanche fans can expect to see at least one of their stars in that group as well.
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