Edmonton Oilers season snapshot awards

With the NHL pausing the 2019-20 regular season on March 12 due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus, NHL.com is taking stock of each of the League's 31 teams.

Today, the award-worthy candidates for the Edmonton Oilers at the pause:

There's been a rebirth from the Edmonton Oilers this season. Led by the two leading scorers in the NHL -- forward Leon Draisaitl, who has 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists), and center Connor McDavid, who has 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) -- they entered the pause second in the Pacific Division, three points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights.

Edmonton has been boosted by others, though, as it tries to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016-17 and for the second time since 2005-06.

To showcase those performances, here are the top players in various categories:

MVP

Draisaitl's 110 points through 71 games are an NHL career high, eclipsing the 105 points he had last season in 82 games. His 10 game-winning goals are tied for first in the NHL with Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak, and his 16 power-play goals are second in the NHL to Pastrnak's 20. Draisaitl's shooting percentage (19.7 percent) is second in the NHL among those who've played at least 55 games, behind Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn (20.0 percent). And Draisaitl leads NHL forwards in ice time (1,605:24), averaging 22:37 per game.

Rookie

Defenseman Ethan Bear has received little attention in discussion for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year, but the 22-year-old leads NHL rookies in average ice time at 21:58 per game, playing a regular turn all season in Edmonton's top four, mostly with veteran Darnell Nurse. Bear, who played 18 games for the Oilers at the end of the 2017-18 season before spending 2018-19 with Bakersfield of the American Hockey League, had a strong training camp, and coach Dave Tippett's faith in him has been rewarded with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 71 games and a calm demeanor on the ice. And trust is rising. In 15 of the 18 games before the pause, Bear played more than 22 minutes, including a season-high 27:40 against the Winnipeg Jets on March 11.

Defenseman

Oscar Klefbom plays in all situations, and his average of 25:25 of ice time per game leads Edmonton and is tied for fifth in the NHL. He has 34 points (five goals, 29 assists) in 62 games, most among Oilers defensemen. Regularly paired with veteran Adam Larsson at 5-on-5, Klefbom is a strong skater with good vision, especially helpful qualities given the amount of time he plays with elite forwards like Draisaitl and McDavid.

Defensive forward

Josh Archibald plays on Edmonton's top penalty-kill unit, has two shorthanded goals, and has added grit and a strong defensive presence to the forward group. Archibald has 12 goals and 21 points in 62 games, matching his NHL career high in goals, set with the Arizona Coyotes last season, and one point off his career-best in points, also established with the Coyotes in 2018-19. His strong two-way play helped earn Archibald the two-year contract he signed with the Oilers on March 6.

Comeback player

James Neal was traded to the Oilers by the Calgary Flames for forward Milan Lucic and a conditional third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft on July 19, 2019. Last season, Neal had 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 63 games, the first time in his 11-season NHL career that he didn't score at least 20 goals. Neal scored nine goals in his first eight games this season and has 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 55 games. He is second on the Oilers with 12 power-play goals.