Jamie Benn, Alex Ovechkin, Carey Price named finalists for Ted Lindsay Award

Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens are the three finalists for the 2014-15 Ted Lindsay Award given to “’Most Outstanding Player’ in the NHL, as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA," the National Hockey League Players’ Association announced Tuesday.

This is an interesting award, because its voted on by #theplayers and not #thewriters like the Hart Trophy. Some look at this as the true, legit best player, since the voting populous is at ice level and not press box level.

And included is Benn, who was not a finalist for the Hart. Guess players in the league don’t put as much stock in the whole ‘team makes the playoff’ thing like we do. In that case, Drew Doughty for Norris! Both Ovechkin and Price are Hart Trophy finalists.

Still, Benn is a solid selection as part of the trio simply because, he led the NHL in scoring, which perceives excellence of course. And he’s also one of the five best players in the NHL.

And the finalists, please...

Why Jamie Benn Deserves The Lindsay Award

From the NHLPA:

Jamie Benn, of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, played in all 82 regular season games for the Dallas Stars in 2014-15. Benn captured the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points (87), which he won with a four-point game – including his second hat-trick of the season – on the final night of the regular season. He set career highs in points, goals (35) and assists (52). Benn tied for first in the NHL in even strength points (59), tied for third in even strength assists (36), and he finished third in points-per-game (1.06), sixth in the league in assists, ninth in goals and 11th in average ice-time per game among all forwards (19:56). Benn is seeking his first Ted Lindsay Award as a first-time nominee, and he would become the first Stars player in franchise history to be honoured by his fellow NHLPA members.

If you’re looking for a position player, it’s hard to compete with a guy who led the NHL in scoring. That’s the definition of outstanding.

Why Alex Ovechkin Deserves The Lindsay Award

From the NHLPA:

Alex Ovechkin, of Moscow, Russia, played 81 games for the Washington Capitals during the 2014-15 regular season, and helped lead the Capitals back into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin scored 53 goals to capture his fifth Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13, 2013-14), and he became the sixth NHL player to record six career 50-goal seasons. He led the league in power-play goals (25) and game-winning goals (11), and he finished fourth in points (81) and eighth in points-per-game (1.00), which also earned him his fifth finalist nomination for the Hart Memorial Trophy – an award he has won three times (2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13). Ovechkin is vying for his fourth “Most Outstanding Player” award. He previously received the players’ Award in three consecutive seasons (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10), and he was also a finalist in both 2005-06 and 2012-13.

His point totals weren’t as good as Benn’s, but he did score 53 goals. When you’re talking about “outstanding” just search for any of Ovi’s goals on video.

Why Carey Price Deserves The Lindsay Award

From the NHLPA:

Carey Price, of Anahim Lake, British Columbia, Canada, played 66 games for the Montreal Canadiens during the 2014-15 regular season, and helped lead the Canadiens to the second best record in the NHL. Price led the league in wins (44 – a new franchise-best), goals-against average (1.96) and save percentage (.933), which earned him finalist nominations for the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Vezina Trophy. He also claimed the William M. Jennings Trophy, along with Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. Price would become just the second Canadiens player to receive the players’ Award, following Guy Lafleur (1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78), and he would also become only the third goaltender to receive the Award, joining Mike Liut (1980-81) and Dominik Hasek (1996-97, 1997-98). Price is a first-time nominee for the Ted Lindsay Award and he is the first goaltender to be nominated since 2011-12 (Henrik Lundqvist).

He was far and away the best player in hockey. But again, this isn’t the Hart Trophy and a goaltender has only won it three times.

Who Wins The Lindsay Award

Price, because he was the best player in the NHL this year, and no position player or goaltender came close to him.

Our Top Choice

Price, because again … read the above reasoning. We were all living in Carey’s world during 82 games of the regular season. The secound-round of the playoffs though? Not so much ...

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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