Suzuki, a first-time finalist, finished the 2025-26 season with 29 goals and 101 points — a career-high — while also taking nearly a third of Montreal’s faceoffs, ending his regular season with a 50.4 per cent success rate. He led all Canadiens forwards in ice time and was utilized on both the PK and defending at 6 on 5.
This is Cirelli’s second consecutive finalist nod after losing out on the award last year to Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. The 28-year-old is part of a Lightning penalty-killing squad that ranked third in the NHL, leading Tampa Bay forwards in shorthanded ice time. He finished the season with 23 goals and 52 points in 71 games.
Nelson, 34, is a first-time NHL award finalist and the first Avalanche member to be recognized for the award since Joe Sakic in 2001. He finished the season with 33 goals — his fourth 30-plus goal season — and 65 points while playing a key role in the Avalanche’s league-leading penalty-killing unit, which operated at 84.6 per cent.
The winner is selected through a vote by the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season.
