The NHL’s 3 Ted Lindsay Award finalists will not surprise you

Apr 28, 2026 - 18:45

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, the finalists for different NHL awards are also being announced. In 2025, it was Nikita Kucherov who took home the Ted Lindsay Award for the second time in his career.

Now, the league has announced this year’s finalists for the award, and Kucherov has a chance to win the award in back-to-back years, according to a release from the league.

Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers join the Tampa Bay Lightning’s forward in being named a finalist for the award. The Ted Lindsay Award is given out every year to the most outstanding player in the NHL, as voted on by members of the NHL Players’ Association.

Celebrini, in his second season in the NHL, broke the Sharks franchise record with 115 points this year. He found the back of the net 45 times while adding 70 helpers this past season. Further, he has 18 games in which he scored three or more points, with five games of four or more points. If he wins, he will be the first member of the Sharks to win the award.

McDavid is a four-time winner of the award, and also the last back-to-back winner. He won in 2017 and 2018, plus 2021 and 2023. This year, McDavid led the league in points with 138. He scored 40 goals and added 86 assists to get to that mark. He also had 43 multi-point games. This is his seventh time being named a finalist for the award, and with a win, he would join Wayne Gretzky as the only player to win the award five times.

Kucherov is a finalist for the award for a fourth time, and for a third straight season. He also won the award in 2019 and 2025. This year, he was second in the NHL with 130 points, lighting the lamp 444 times while chipping in 86 assists. From the end of December into mid-January, Kucherov put up 25 points in just a ten-game span.

The NHL Awards ceremony will happen as soon as the Stanley Cup Playoffs conclude.

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