Wow! I can’t believe the guy nominated for the Hart is up for the Ted Lindsay. Shocking but true but the guy who was nominated for the NHL’s MVP Award is also up for the most outstanding player. That player, of course, is Auston Matthews.

The Ted Lindsay is slightly different in how it operates in that the Hart is decided on by the Pro Hockey Writers Association, and it’s the membership of the NHLPA that votes on the Lindsay.

The award also produced another name to the mix when it comes to Matthews’ fellow finalists. Connor McDavid is still there, but the NHLPA put Roman Josi in the mix as the third candidate instead of Igor Shesterkin. That’s keeping it fresh.

Interestingly for all the noise about Jonathan Huberdeau, he didn’t find his way into the top three on either award, and it’s probably not surprising that the award nominees consist of the Rocket Richard winner, the Art Ross winner, the likely Vezina winner (for the Hart), and the likely Norris winner (for the Ted Lindsay.)

It seems like the competition will be tight, but Auston has to be considered a favourite for both given how he plays a more complete game than McDavid and accomplished a very rare feat of hitting 60 goals.

A date hasn’t been officially set for the NHL Awards, but it will take place during the Stanley Cup finals this year in one of the host cities. Next week the league will reveal the finalists for the Masterton, Selke, Byng, Jack Adams, and King Clancy Awards.

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