Caufield finished second in the NHL with a career-high 51 goals this season, becoming the first player in Montreal Canadiens history to scored 50 goals since Stephane Richer in 1989-90. The 25-year-old right wing had 88 points in 81 games and was tied for 15th in scoring. He had 14 penalty minutes this season, the fewest among players in the top 25 in scoring. He took seven minor penalties while averaging 18:11 of ice time per game.
Caufield helped the Canadiens finish second in the Atlantic Division with a 48-24-10 record. They have a 3-2 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round with Game 6 at Bell Centre on Friday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN2, The Spot). A first-time finalist, he would be the first Montreal player to win the award since Mats Naslund in 1987-88.
Kopitar is a finalist for the fifth time, and has won the award three times, including last season (also 2015-16 and 2022-23). He had 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 67 games, taking five minor penalties all season, the fourth time in the past six seasons he has had 10 or fewer penalty minutes.
Playing in his 20th and final NHL season, all with the Los Angeles Kings, the 38-year-old center averaged 19:07 of ice time and also won 56.9 percent of his face-offs, often matched against the opposition's top lines. He helped the Kings reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth straight season. They were swept in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche. Kopitar could become the first back-to-back winner of the award since Martin St. Louis did so for the Lightning in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
A two-time Stanley Cup champion with Los Angeles (2012, 2014), he has been Kings captain since June 16, 2016. In addition to his three Lady Byng wins, Kopitar twice won the Selke Trophy (2015-16, 2017-18) as the best defensive forward in the NHL, and the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award (2021-22).
He will retire from the NHL with 1,316 points (452 goals, 864 assists) in 1,521 regular-season games.
Sanderson had 54 points (14 goals, 40 assists) in 67 games, while averaging 24:50 of ice time per game for the Ottawa Senators this season. He took four minor penalties all season while ranking ninth in the NHL in ice time per game. Though he was tied for 20th on the Senators with 29 hits, he led them with 128 blocked shots, and led all Ottawa defensemen with 31 takeaways.
In his fourth season with Ottawa, the 23-year-old helped the Senators reach the playoffs for the second straight season. They were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.
A first-time finalist, Sanderson would be the first Senators player to win the award.
