The NHL does not have an award dedicated to the “Most Improved Player” but if there were one, several players would be strong candidates to win the award.
Here is a Look at Five NHL Most Improved Players for 2019
Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames
Before joining the Calgary Flames, Elias Lindholm never scored more than 45 points in each of his five NHL seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes.
In his first season with Calgary, Lindholm is having a breakout year with 77 points in 73 games. He has already set a career-high in goals, assists, and points and is on pace to score over 30 goals and 80 points.
At only 24-years-old, Lindholm has several prime years left and the Flames seem to have found themselves a legit 70-80 point player.
In retrospect, it looks like Calgary may have won the trade for Lindholm last summer. As they were also able to acquire Noah Hanifin in the deal, in exchange for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox.
Robin Lehner, New York Islanders
At the end of last season, there were a lot of questions regarding Robin Lehner’s future in the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres decided to let him walk, and the New York Islanders landed Lehner on a low-risk one-year deal at $1.5 million.
The deal has paid off significantly, as Robin Lehner is currently on a pace to a set a new career-high in wins. He is also a top-five goalie in save percentage and goals against average, respectively holding a .925 and a 2.19.
Overall, this is a huge improvement from the .908 save percentage and the 3.01 he displayed one season ago. Lehner has resurrected his NHL career and is a huge reason why the New York Islanders are surprising a lot of people this year.
At only 27, Lehner might just be entering his prime. If he is able to help the Islanders find success in the playoffs this year, he might be in for a big pay raise this summer.
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Matthew Tkachuk is another “most improved player” candidate this season.
Despite having decent campaigns in his first few years, Matthew Tkachuk has taken a huge step forward. He is a much-improved player in his third NHL season.
He is on pace to score over 35 goals and 80 points in 2018-19. He also has a chance to score 30 more points than his average (49) from his first two seasons.
It’s fair to say that Tkachuk has evolved into a premier winger in the NHL. He has the rare ability to impact the game with his physical play as well.
In retrospect, the Calgary Flames got a huge steal at the 2016 NHL draft, with Tkachuk being available at sixth overall.
On another note, Tkachuk is due for a contract extension. So it will be interesting how much it will cost Calgary to keep him around.
TSN Hockey analysts believe he could sign somewhere around $7.5 million-per-year. So it remains to be seen whether his contract will put a dent on the Flames’ cap-space moving forward.
Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues
Before the start of 2018-19 NHL season, Oskar Sundqvist was considered a fringe NHL player by many. He had less than 100 games of experience and only had two goals and nine points on his NHL resume.
It seems like the 2018-19 season has been a coming out party. He has carved himself a role for himself on the St. Louis Blues’ bottom six. Oskar Sundqvist already beat his career-high in points five-times over and will set a new career high in goals and assists.
Right now, Sundqvist is projected to finish the season with around 15 goals and 30 points.
Stats aside, Sundqvist has improved into an effective player for the St. Louis Blues and is counted upon in all situations.
It looks like the 24-year-old is just getting started and could be a very solid contributor for the Blues for years to come.
Dylan Strome, Chicago Blackhawks
Prior to the 2018-19 NHL season, Dylan Strome only played a total of 22 NHL games for the Arizona Coyotes. He only scored a total of nine points.
Coming into this season, many felt like Dylan Strome was a bust and after two-and-a-half disappointing seasons. Then the Coyotes finally gave up on him.
Since being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, Dylan Strome is finally showing the hockey world why he was a third overall pick back in 2015. Strome has improved significantly and currently has 44 points in 48 games with Blackhawks.
He looks like the legit top-six center that Arizona thought he could be.
In retrospect, it looks like the Arizona Coyotes might have lost the trade – giving up on Strome a little too early. At only 22, Strome has the potential to be a franchise center for the Hawks for years to come.
