Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl snubbed from 2025 Ted Lindsay Award

However, one obvious name is omitted from the trio – Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.

The Ted Lindsay Award is an honour given to the player who is the most valuable player in the NHL based on votes cast by members of the NHL Players’ Association.

That basically means those who are with the NHLPA don’t believe Draisaitl was MVP-calibre during the 2024-25 season.

Sure, there’s nothing wrong with MacKinnon and Kucherov being in the MVP conversation. MacKinnon helped the Avalanche overcome a disastrous start to the campaign, finishing second in the league in scoring while taking his team from a Wild Card contender to third place in the Central Division. Kucherov led the NHL with 121 points, pushing an aging Lightning team to the second-best record in the Atlantic Division. However, to say that Draisaitl wasn’t playing above the level of Makar, or at least the same level, is absurd.

The Oilers had another rough start this season but managed to turn things around just like last year. One of the main reasons for the team’s “resurrection” was the play of the German centre. Even when the team was without captain Connor McDavid due to injuries or suspension. Draisaitl continued to produce at an exceptional rate.

Even though Draisaitl was also hampered by injuries, missing a total of 11 games during the regular season, he managed to lead the NHL in goals, scoring 52 on the year, becoming the only player to hit the half-century mark this season. It marked the first time in the 29-year-old’s career that he won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. He also finished tied for third in overall scoring with 106 points.

There is no doubt that the Oilers wouldn’t have been nearly as successful this season without Draisaitl performing at the level he did.

The three finalists for the Hart Trophy, which is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, will be revealed on Thursday. If the three names up for the Ted Lindsay Award are any hint of a preview, fans in Edmonton might be disappointed once again.

Draisaitl has won the TLA once in his career, coming in in 2019-20, the same season he took home the Hart Trophy. McDavid has also won the award four times in his career, with Oilers legends Wayne Gretzky (five times) and Mark Messier (twice) having also received the trophy when it was known as the Lester B. Pearson Award.