{"id":43931,"date":"2019-03-20T21:29:53","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T01:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=43931"},"modified":"2019-03-20T22:02:12","modified_gmt":"2019-03-21T02:02:12","slug":"nhl-most-improved-players-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2019\/03\/20\/nhl-most-improved-players-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Most Improved Players 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The NHL does not have an award dedicated to the \u201cMost Improved Player\u201d but if there were one, several players would be strong candidates to win the award.<\/p>\n<h1>Here is a Look at Five NHL Most Improved Players for 2019<\/h1>\n<h2><b>Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elias Lindholm \u25cf Best highlights 18\/19 \u25cf (GOALS, SKILLS &amp; ASSISTS)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LrFDuTd6hXw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Before joining the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/flames\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Calgary Flames<\/a>,<strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/l\/lindhel01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elias Lindholm<\/a> <\/strong>never scored more than 45 points in each of his five NHL seasons with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/hurricanes\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carolina Hurricanes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>In retrospect, it looks like <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/2019\/02\/17\/calgary-flames-carolina-hurricanes-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">C<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/2019\/02\/17\/calgary-flames-carolina-hurricanes-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">algary may have won the trade for Lindholm last summer<\/a>. As they were also able to acquire<strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hanifno01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Noah Hanifin<\/a><\/strong> in the deal, in exchange for<strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hamildo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dougie Hamilton<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockeydb.com\/ihdb\/stats\/pdisplay.php?pid=119077\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Micheal Ferland<\/a><\/strong> and prospect <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eliteprospects.com\/player\/248380\/adam-fox\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adam Fox<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Robin Lehner, New York Islanders<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>At the end of last season, there were a lot of questions regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhl.com\/player\/robin-lehner-8475215\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robin Lehner<\/a>\u2019s future in the NHL. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/sabres\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buffalo Sabres<\/a> decided to let him walk, and the New York Islanders landed Lehner on a low-risk one-year deal at $1.5 million.<\/p>\n<p>The deal has paid off significantly, as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/l\/lehnero01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Robin Lehner<\/strong><\/a> is currently on a pace to a set a new career-high in wins. He is also a top-five goalie<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nhl.com\/stats\/player?report=goaliesummary&amp;reportType=season&amp;seasonFrom=20182019&amp;seasonTo=20182019&amp;gameType=2&amp;filter=gamesPlayed,gte,21&amp;sort=savePctg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> in save percentage<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nhl.com\/stats\/player?report=goaliesummary&amp;reportType=season&amp;seasonFrom=20182019&amp;seasonTo=20182019&amp;gameType=2&amp;filter=gamesPlayed,gte,21&amp;sort=goalsAgainstAverage\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">goals against average<\/a>, respectively holding a .925 and a 2.19.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, this is a huge improvement from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockeydb.com\/ihdb\/stats\/pdisplay.php?pid=120942\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">.908 save percentage and the 3.01<\/a> he displayed one season ago. Lehner has resurrected his NHL career and is a huge reason why the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/islanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Islanders<\/a> are surprising a lot of people this year.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Matthew Tkachuk is another &#8220;most improved player&#8221; candidate this season.<\/p>\n<p>Despite having decent campaigns in his first few years, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tkachma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Matthew Tkachuk<\/strong><\/a> has taken a huge step forward. He is a much-improved player in his third NHL season.<\/p>\n<p>He is on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/4024854\/matthew-tkachuk\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pace to score over 35 goals<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>In retrospect, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockeydb.com\/ihdb\/draft\/nhl2016e.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Calgary Flames got a huge steal at the 2016 NHL draft<\/a>, with\u00a0Tkachuk being available at\u00a0sixth overall.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>TSN <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsn.ca\/nhl\/video\/how-much-and-how-many-years-could-tkachuk-get-with-the-flames~1638505\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hockey analysts believe he could sign somewhere<\/a> around $7.5 million-per-year. So it remains to be seen whether his contract will put a dent on the Flames\u2019 cap-space moving forward.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Before the start of 2018-19 NHL \u00a0season, 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.<\/p>\n<p>It seems like the 2018-19 season has been a coming out party. He has carved himself a role for himself on the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/blues\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">St. Louis Blues<\/a>\u2019 bottom six. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/sundqos01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Oskar Sundqvist<\/strong> <\/a>already beat his career-high in points five-times over and will set a new career high in goals and assists.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, \u00a0Sundqvist is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/_\/id\/3069277\/oskar-sundqvist\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">projected to finish the season with around<\/a> 15 goals and 30 points.<\/p>\n<p>Stats aside, Sundqvist has improved into an effective player for the St. Louis Blues and is counted upon in all situations.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Dylan Strome, Chicago Blackhawks<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dylan Strome is named the third star of the week\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FX2Wc4fSeNg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Prior to the 2018-19 NHL season, Dylan Strome only played a total of 22 NHL games for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/nhl-teams\/coyotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arizona Coyotes<\/a>. He only scored a total of nine points.<\/p>\n<p>Coming into this season, many felt like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/stromdy01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Dylan Strome<\/strong><\/a> was a bust and after two-and-a-half disappointing seasons. Then the Coyotes finally gave up on him.<\/p>\n<p>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.\u00a0Strome has improved significantly and currently has 44 points in 48 games with Blackhawks.<\/p>\n<p>He looks like the legit top-six center that Arizona thought he could be.<\/p>\n<p>In retrospect, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/2019\/02\/22\/arizona-coyotes-trades-montreal-canadiens-chicago-blackhawks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">it looks like the Arizona Coyotes might have lost the trade<\/a> &#8211; giving up on Strome a little too early.\u00a0At only 22, Strome has the potential to be a franchise center for the Hawks for years to come.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"Wbn4H89jRbRhscsBC7qH4A\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1129757753\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Wbn4H89jRbRhscsBC7qH4A',sig:'djxa5eKfhB19myESBUIv7uLMFeJ7mQSjX7QqHnfilLA=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1129757753',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NHL does not have an award dedicated to the \u201cMost Improved Player\u201d 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2962,"featured_media":43951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[103,246,171,1479,37,701,491,38,905,1269],"class_list":["post-43931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-calgary-flames","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-dylan-strome","tag-elias-lindholm","tag-hockey","tag-matthew-tkachuk","tag-new-york-islanders","tag-nhl","tag-oskar-sundqvist","tag-robin-lehner"],"modified_by":"William Grigsby","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2962"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}