The NHL's 24-team return-to-play format marks the end of the 2019-20 regular season "for the purposes of nomenclature, record keeping, and NHL awards," commissioner Gary Bettman said in Tuesday's announcement. That means it's time to hand out awards and finalize league stat leaders.
There's a small caveat, though. NHLPA president Donald Fehr said there's been no collectively bargained decision on how stats from the qualifying round will be counted, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. Therefore, these awards and league leaders could be subject to change at some point. For now, we're proceeding anyway.
Presidents' Trophy
Awarded to the team with the most points.
Winner: Boston Bruins
| Rank | Team | PTS | PTS% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 100 | .714 |
| 2 | St. Louis Blues | 94 | .662 |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 92 | .657 |
| 3 | Colorado Avalanche | 92 | .657 |
| 5 | Washington Capitals | 90 | .652 |
Whether by points or points percentage - a calculation dividing accrued points by maximum possible points based on games played - the Bruins were the NHL's best team during the 2019-20 regular season.
Art Ross Trophy
Awarded to the player with the most points.
Winner: Leon Draisaitl
| Rank | Player | GP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leon Draisaitl (EDM) | 71 | 110 |
| 2 | Connor McDavid (EDM) | 64 | 97 |
| 3 | Artemi Panarin (NYR) | 70 | 95 |
| 3 | David Pastrnak (BOS) | 69 | 95 |
| 5 | Nathan MacKinnon (COL) | 69 | 93 |
Barring an injury, this was Draisaitl's trophy to lose even without a league shutdown.
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
Awarded to the player with the most goals.
Winner: Alex Ovechkin/David Pastrnak
| Rank | Player | GP | G |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Ovechkin (WSH) | 68 | 48 |
| 1 | David Pastrnak (BOS) | 70 | 48 |
| 3 | Auston Matthews (TOR) | 70 | 47 |
| 4 | Leon Draisaitl (EDM) | 71 | 43 |
| 5 | Mika Zibanejad (NYR) | 57 | 41 |
This was arguably the most enticing award race in the league, so it's a shame we never got to see the end of it; each of these five players seemed to have a fighting chance. If it stands, it will be Ovechkin's eighth time winning the award and Pastrnak's first.
Assists leader
Winner: Leon Draisaitl
| Rank | Player | GP | A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leon Draisaitl (EDM) | 71 | 67 |
| 2 | Connor McDavid (EDM) | 64 | 63 |
| 2 | Artemi Panarin (NYR) | 69 | 63 |
| 4 | John Carlson (WSH) | 69 | 60 |
| 5 | Brad Marchand (BOS) | 70 | 59 |
There's no actual award for the NHL's regular-season assist leader, which seems like a missed opportunity. It could be named after Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time points leader by assists alone. Or perhaps after someone who specialized in dishing the puck (to a lesser extent) but was never an elite scorer, like Adam Oates or Joe Thornton.
Defenseman points leader
Winner: John Carlson
| Rank | Player | GP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Carlson (WSH) | 69 | 75 |
| 2 | Roman Josi (NSH) | 69 | 65 |
| 3 | Victor Hedman (TB) | 66 | 55 |
| 4 | Tony DeAngelo (NYR) | 68 | 53 |
| 5 | Quinn Hughes (VAN) | 68 | 53 |
Carlson was on pace for 89 points over 82 games, a total no defenseman has reached since Ray Bourque and Sergei Zubov in 1993-94, according to Hockey Reference.
Average time-on-ice leader
Winner: Thomas Chabot
| Rank | Player | GP | ATOI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Chabot (OTT) | 71 | 26:00 |
| 2 | Drew Doughty (LA) | 67 | 25:49 |
| 3 | Roman Josi (NSH) | 69 | 25:47 |
| 4 | Kris Letang (PIT) | 61 | 25:44 |
| 5 | Oscar Klefbom (EDM) | 62 | 25:25 |
| 5 | Brent Burns (SJ) | 70 | 25:25 |
Chabot was a horse. He logged 37:50 of action during an overtime loss to the Lightning in December.
William M. Jennings Trophy
Awarded to the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals against.
Winner: Tuukka Rask/Jaroslav Halak
| Rank | Players | GP | GA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuukka Rask/Jaroslav Halak (BOS) | 70 | 174 |
| 2 | Ben Bishop/Anton Khudobin (DAL) | 69 | 177 |
| 3 | Joonas Korpisalo/Elvis Merzlikins (CLB) | 70 | 187 |
| 3 | Darcy Kuemper/Antti Raanta (ARI) | 70 | 187 |
| 5 | Philipp Grubauer/Pavel Francouz (COL) | 70 | 191 |
Rask (41 starts) and Halak (31 starts) were both sensational this season, combining for a .925 save percentage and a 2.24 goals-against average. Boston's blue line and the team's overall defensive play deserve some credit, too.
Save percentage leader
Minimum of 23 games played, per NHL.com.
Winner: Anton Khudobin
| Rank | Player | GP | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anton Khudobin (DAL) | 30 | .930 |
| 2 | Tuukka Rask (BOS) | 41 | .929 |
| 3 | Darcy Kuemper (ARI) | 29 | .928 |
| 4 | Jake Allen (STL) | 24 | .927 |
| 5 | Elvis Merzlikins (CLB) | 33 | .923 |
Though he split time in the crease with Ben Bishop this season, Khudobin has quietly become one of the league's most effective goaltenders. A pending UFA, he could be in line for a handsome payday this offseason.
Goalie wins leader
Winner: Andrei Vasilevskiy
| Rank | Player | GP | W |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB) | 52 | 35 |
| 2 | Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) | 58 | 31 |
| 3 | Jordan Binnington (STL) | 50 | 30 |
| 4 | Frederik Andersen (TOR) | 52 | 29 |
| 5 | Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK) | 49 | 27 |
| 5 | Carey Price (MTL) | 58 | 27 |
Vasilevskiy may be the winner here, but Hellebuyck's brilliance can't be overstated. He won 31 games while posting a .922 save percentage after Winnipeg lost four of its blue-line regulars from 2018-19.
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