Masterton Trophy nominations announced

Oskar Lindblom of the Philadelphia Flyers, Jay Bouwmeester of the St. Louis Blues and Bobby Ryan of the Ottawa Senators were among those named as nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on Tuesday.

The trophy is awarded annually by the Professional Hockey Writers Association to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.

A player from each team was nominated by the local PHWA chapter. The list will be narrowed to three finalists and the winner will be named at a later date.

Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in December. The 23-year-old forward, who has not played since the diagnosis, scored 18 points (11 goals, seven assists) in 30 games this season.

"This past season has been a difficult one for sure, but the positive support I've received from my family, my girlfriend, teammates, the Flyers organization and Flyers fans has been a tremendous help and inspiration through these times and I look forward to the day I'm back on the ice," Lindblom said. "I was very touched to see how many people, whether they support the Flyers or another team, were wearing #OskarStrong T-shirts. I continue to feel your support."

Bouwmeester was nominated for the second consecutive season. The 36-year-old defenseman, who helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup for the first time last season, had a cardiac episode during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 11 and underwent surgery to install an implantable cardioverter defibrillator that will restore his heart's normal rhythm in case of a similar future incident. Bouwmeester announced in late February that he would not return for the remainder of the 2019-20 regular-season or Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ryan, who took a leave of absence from the Senators in November to enter the NHL/NHL Players' Association player assistance program, citing admitted issues with alcohol abuse, scored three goals for his fifth NHL hat trick on Feb. 27 in his first home game since returning.

"It's a great thing, maybe a silver lining out of the year I went through and all that," the forward said. "But somebody mentioned it to me right away after that game [I returned], I think one of my teammates just said, 'You just threw your hat into the ring for the Masterton.' I said, 'I guess that would be cool,' but it was obviously the furthest thing from my mind and the reason I had to go get right. To be recognized for the work I put in and the months leading up to my comeback, it's a very small thing but it's a very fulfilling thing for me."

Shea Weber of the Montreal Canadiens was also named a nominee. The defenseman scored 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 65 games this season after playing 58 games last season following offseason knee surgery and 26 games in 2017-18 because of a foot injury that required surgery.

"I always set the bar high and have a high standard," Weber said. "I think that in order for me to try and get back to where I was, I had to believe that I could do it and I had beliefs all the time. It's mentally hard and it's draining at points, especially when you think you're kind of stuck in the mud or not really going anywhere as far as your recovery, but belief never ended."

Oilers center Connor McDavid was nominated after sustaining multiple injuries to his left knee during the final game of the 2018-19 season. He was in the opening night lineup following a grueling rehabilitation and scored 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) in 64 games, second in the League behind teammate Leon Draisaitl (110 points).

Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Letestu was nominated after being diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, in October. He played seven games before the diagnosis and had begun skating with the Jets before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

"It's an honor, for sure," Letestu said. "I didn't expect to be nominated for any NHL awards. Perseverance, dedication, those words are pretty special to me."

Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, who missed time with a hamstring injury this season, was nominated for the second straight season.

"I looked at the list of the past winners yesterday and I'm really excited to be named for our team, nominated by the (PHWA). It's pretty special to me," he said. "I like what the award stands for and I'm a guy who really takes a lot of pride in my dedication to the game. So both on and off the ice I try to be as dedicated as possible and I don't take this award for granted. It's pretty cool that I've been nominated more than once by (the writers)."

Below is a list of the nominees for the 2019-20 season:

Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Miller, G
Arizona Coyotes: Conor Garland, F
Boston Bruins: Kevan Miller, D
Buffalo Sabres: Curtis Lazar, F
Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano, D
Carolina Hurricanes: James Reimer, G
Chicago Blackhawks: Corey Crawford, G
Colorado Avalanche: Ryan Graves, D
Columbus Blue Jackets: Nathan Gerbe, F
Dallas Stars: Stephen Johns, D
Detroit Red Wings: Robby Fabbri, F
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, F
Florida Panthers: Noel Acciari, F
Los Angeles Kings: Jonathan Quick, G
Minnesota Wild: Alex Stalock, G
Montreal Canadiens: Shea Weber, D
Nashville Predators: Jarred Tinordi, D
New Jersey Devils: Travis Zajac, F
New York Islanders: Thomas Hickey, D
New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist, G
Ottawa Senators: Bobby Ryan, F
Philadelphia Flyers: Oskar Lindblom, F
Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin, F
San Jose Sharks: Joe Thornton, F
St. Louis Blues: Jay Bouwmeester, D
Tampa Bay Lightning: Alex Killorn, F
Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Hyman, F
Vancouver Canucks: Jacob Markstrom, G
Vegas Golden Knights: Shea Theodore, D
Washington Capitals: Michal Kempny, D
Winnipeg Jets: Mark Letestu, F