With 2019 coming to a close, we look back at the five best individual seasons of the decade.

5. Erik Karlsson, 2016-17

*Stats in tables include only regular season.

It was never a question of whether Karlsson would make this list, but rather which of his standout campaigns would be featured. He won the Norris Trophy in 2011-12 with 78 points, 25 more than any other defenseman. Four years later, he recorded a career-high 82 points and led all players with 66 assists.

However, the most dominant we've ever seen Karlsson was during the 2017 playoffs when he carried the Ottawa Senators to within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final. He tallied 18 points in 19 games while logging over 28 minutes per night. From his ridiculous saucer pass to Mike Hoffman to his dynamic feed to Derick Brassard, his postseason highlights live on forever.

There were legitimate conversations at the time about whether Karlsson was the best player in the game.

4. Nikita Kucherov, 2018-19

Kucherov's 128 points were the most since Mario Lemieux (161) and Jaromir Jagr (149) set the hockey world on fire in 1995-96. That total also represents the single-season points record by a Russian-born NHLer, which is especially impressive when you consider the number of talented players who have emerged from the country.

However, Kucherov's historic campaign falls just shy of the top three due to the fact that he, as a winger, plays less of a 200-foot game than those who are featured ahead of him. Also, as incredible as his year was, a spike in scoring league-wide (6.06 goals per game, the most of the decade) contributed to his gaudy totals.

3. Tim Thomas, 2010-11

Thomas didn't have a long career, but his peak was better than any other goalie's this decade.

The Boston Bruins netminder led the NHL in goals-against average, save percentage, and goals saved above average to capture the Vezina Trophy during the regular season.

Thomas was even better during the playoffs. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP thanks to a .940 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average, as the Bruins took down a stacked Vancouver Canucks team in the Stanley Cup Final.

2. Evgeni Malkin, 2011-12

This was the season when we truly saw how Malkin can elevate his game when a certain teammate is sidelined. Asked to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin put the team on his back night after night.

Despite missing seven games himself, Malkin captured the Art Ross with 12 more points than runner-up Steven Stamkos - who played all 82 - and was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP.

When focused and motivated, Malkin is perhaps more dominant than any player of his era.

1. Sidney Crosby, 2013-14

Crosby is the best player of the decade and was at the height of his powers during this season.

He won the scoring title by a whopping 17 points - the largest winning margin of the decade - and received 128 of a possible 136 first-place votes for the Hart Trophy.

In addition to his individual brilliance, no other player today exemplifies the ability to make their teammates better the way Crosby does, and that was most evident during this outstanding 2013-14 season.

Penguins linemate Chris Kunitz shattered his previous career high with 35 goals thanks to Crosby's efforts and was even selected to Canada's stacked Olympic team due to those numbers. And when Team Canada traveled to Russia to compete in the games, it was Crosby who captained the squad to the gold medal.

Just missed the cut:

• Steven Stamkos, 2011-12: In the best season of his career to date, Stamkos led the league with 60 goals and finished second in Hart Trophy voting.
• Carey Price, 2014-15: Price cleaned up on awards night, winning the Hart, Jennings, Pearson, and Vezina. He led the league in wins, goals-against average, and save percentage.
• Connor McDavid, 2016-17: McDavid already has several impressive seasons, but winning the Art Ross by 11 points may be his greatest feat thus far.
• Patrick Kane, 2015-16: Kane had 106 points while no other skater cracked 90.
• Henrik Sedin, 2009-10: Sedin's 83 assists were the second most of the decade.

(Advanced stats source: Natural Stat Trick)

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"Small but mighty" best describes Finland's current standing in hockey.

In the last four NHL drafts, Finland produced six top-five draft picks, tied with Canada for the most in that span. In the 12 drafts prior to that, the country had a grand total of one. The Finns have won gold in three of the last six world juniors - also the most in that stretch - after winning the tournament just twice in its previous 36-year history.

Finland has managed that dominance despite being significantly smaller than hockey's other prominent nations.

(Source: IIHF.com)

From Aleksander Barkov to Patrik Laine to Mikko Rantanen to Miro Heiskanen to Kaapo Kakko to Sebastian Aho, Finland's elite talent across the NHL can't be missed. And all of these players are under the age of 25.

The turnaround didn't happen overnight, though.

"It started five-to-six years ago," Jere Lehtinen, a former NHL star and now general manager of the Finnish national team, said in a telephone interview. "I think it was six years ago after we had a world championship in Finland and the federation made some money there and they put that money in the club teams surrounding Finland.

"It's more skill coaching. That was one reason - to get more individual coaching and help to club teams - to teach young kids more individual stuff."

Finland, which opens the 2020 World Junior Championship on Thursday against Sweden, was always a respected hockey country, but becoming elite required approaching things a bit differently.

For starters, Finland's national-team coaches typically stay with an age group for at least three years, creating a tight player-coach bond.

For example, Petri Karjalainen, an assistant coach on Finland's gold-medal-winning world junior team in 2014, was the head coach of Finland's under-16 national team in 2018-19. This year, he's the head coach of the under-17 team. Next year, he'll likely move on to the under-18s.

"All our national-team head coaches are full time, so we have time to take the message about the player/game to his team coach where (the) development is happening," Karjalainen wrote via email. "We have really good cooperation between national team coaches and then with team coaches. We have to do all these really well 'cause we don't have numbers."

Jussi Ahokas, who coached Finland to gold at the 2019 world juniors, believes the system helps build trust.

"For example, I've known Henri Jokiharju for four or five years," Ahokas said in a telephone interview. "Who else? Patrik Laine was '98 born … pretty much all guys born from '98, '99. I’ve been working with (Urho) Vaakanainen, (Kristian) Vesalainen, (Eeli) Tolvanen. There's quite many. Pretty much all those guys. I know all our top-end players."

Kasperi Kapanen became a national hero after scoring the overtime winner in the gold-medal game of the 2016 world juniors in Helsinki. Although he lived in North America until he was 12 while his father, Sami, was playing in the NHL, he believes Finland's coaching continuity benefits players.

"It's nice," the Toronto Maple Leafs forward said following a team practice ahead of the Christmas break. "You get familiarity with the coach and it's easy to play for him once you kind of know what he wants and what he wants you to do, so I think it's a good idea."

Through these tight-knit relationships, coaches are able to give players the individual feedback necessary to help them reach their potential. Then the aforementioned skill coaches can help improve players' weaknesses and develop their strengths.

It's a stark contrast to how things are done in Canada - the standard-bearer for player development for so many years.

In Canada, major junior hockey is a business. Owners need to sell a winning team to get fans to attend games, leaving less time for individual development. If a player makes a mistake, he might be benched. In Finland, that's not the case.

"If you lose a game, you make a mistake, it's over (right) away," said Lehtinen, a three-time Selke Trophy winner with the Dallas Stars. "You're not gonna think about that for too long. You just keep playing. You learn."

While competition in Canada might be stronger, the team's results are the priority. In many cases, a Canadian family may have to look outside a child's team for additional skill work as the player grows up.

In Finland, individual growth is equally important - much like USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, which dominated the 2019 NHL Draft with 11 first-rounders. The Finns want to develop the most talented players possible and then teach them how to play together. They understand everyone progresses differently.

"They wanted to get more individual. You try to look at one player and not every time as a group," Lehtinen said of the Finnish system. "You wanna give more individual coaching for those players and more skills … and once you get all those (skilled) players together you can teach them to play a team game."

It's more than just on-ice skill sessions; the Finns emphasize helping players away from the rink as well.

"We try to reach every person as an individual and how we can help him become the best he can be," Ahokas said. "Every player can have some other thing. Somebody needs more work with the game, somebody needs more help with the eating habits or mental side. We look at them as individuals, but they still have to know the team game is for the better of the team and that they can be great team players and still be good individuals."

This development program has also been implemented at the grassroots level and should begin to bear fruit soon. Finnish hockey has already transformed itself into an international powerhouse, and it's possible the best is yet to come.

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With 2019 just about in the books, it's time to start looking ahead. Here are five predictions for the 2020 NHL calendar year:

Avalanche win Stanley Cup

It's quite remarkable where the Avalanche stand despite missing core players Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog for 16 games apiece. More recently, the club has had to overcome the absence of rookie sensation Cale Makar.

But the Avs continue to win with Nathan MacKinnon leading the way. If they can get fully healthy heading into the playoffs, the Avalanche will be a force, with speed, skill, depth, and grit in equal doses. With ample cap space and prospect capital, general manager Joe Sakic possesses the ammunition to make a big trade deadline splash, too.

This season, the Western Conference seems like it'll provide the easier path to the Stanley Cup Final. The St. Louis Blues pose the biggest threat in the west, but if Colorado can get past the defending Stanley Cup champs, no club in the Pacific Division can stop this team.

The Eastern Conference is loaded with talented squads, making it difficult to pick a champion from that group. The Avs are therefore the safest Stanley Cup pick right now.

Red Wings draft Quinton Byfield 1st overall

These predictions aren't designed to be overly bold, but his one might be considered as such.

Alexis Lafreniere has been the favorite to go first overall in the 2020 draft for over a year now, but it'll be Byfield who hears his name called first. Here's how the two have performed this season so far:

Lafreniere is putting up better numbers, but he's also a year older than Byfield.

The Red Wings are dead last in the NHL, and we're predicting they win the lottery and secure the top pick. GM Steve Yzerman knows the value of centers, and he'll pass on the skilled winger in favor of the 6-foot-4 pivot.

Chara, Thornton, Marleau all retire

An era will end in 2020, with future Hall of Famers Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau hanging 'em up in the same offseason.

The Sharks' reign of dominance is seemingly ending this season, making it hard to imagine Thornton and Marleau playing another year. Neither forward has been very good in 2019-20 while combining for 23 points, and they'll retire with their chances of winning a cup in San Jose likely over.

Even though Chara is the oldest of the three, he still seems most likely to ruin this prediction. But the towering defenseman, who turns 43 in March, may decide enough is enough.

Taylor Hall signs with Bruins

Taylor Hall has played just five career playoff games. That should change this spring with the Arizona Coyotes, but when he makes a long-term career decision this summer, expect him to join a stable organization with a chance at winning a Stanley Cup. Enter the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins, like nearly every competitive team, are dealing with cap issues. But even though Hall will likely demand over $10 million per season, Boston could still bring him aboard.

However, that may require letting Torey Krug walk in free agency this summer and not re-signing David Krejci after the 2020-21 season. The team could theoretically keep Krug, but then Krejci would need to be traded before July 1 to clear cap space.

The Bruins are financially flexible enough to make a Hall signing happen if they so desire, largely due to the bargain contracts Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Charlie McAvoy signed.

Byfgulien returns, helps Jets make playoffs

One of the biggest storylines of the 2019-20 season has been the ongoing Dustin Byfuglien saga.

To recap: The Jets suspended Byfuglien indefinitely without pay for failing to report to training camp while he was reportedly mulling retirement. In October, Byfuglien underwent ankle surgery for what he claims is a hockey-related injury, and therefore he should still be getting paid.

But the Jets say he was healthy at his end-of-year physical. A neutral arbitrator will rule on the disagreement after the NHLPA filed a grievance on Byfuglien's behalf. And in December, Byfuglien reportedly began rehabbing his ankle in consultation with the team.

That's a lot to take in, but it sounds like Byfgulien and the Jets are trying to mend their relationship. Whenever the defenseman is healthy - which is expected sometime in February - he'll return to the ice with the Jets.

Winnipeg is currently in a playoff spot, but holding onto that position is far from a guarantee. With an effective Byfgulien back in the fold, the Jets will punch their postseason ticket for the third straight campaign.

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The Chicago Blackhawks were blown out on home ice on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils. Captain Jonathan Toews was noticeably frustrated after the tilt.

"Just embarrassing," Toews told NBC's Charlie Roumeliotis. "Pretty tough all around. Not much to say."

The Devils, who recently traded star forward Taylor Hall to Arizona, own the second-worst record in the entire NHL.

Toews called out his team's effort level.

"There's no games where you can cakewalk and it just looks like that was our assumption tonight," he said.

The Blackhawks entered the evening coming off two impressive victories over the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche, but they'll enter the Christmas break on a sour note, sitting eight points out of a playoff spot.

"Enough's enough," he continued. "We've talked about being pissed off, we can't keep letting this slide."

Toews is second on the team with 27 points in 38 games.

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Tom Wilson wasn't in the holiday spirit Monday night.

The Washington Capitals forward was ejected late in the third period against the Boston Bruins for roughing David Pastrnak. Wilson speared Pasta in the groin, and then the two exchanged blows before the refs intervened.

Pastrnak received two minutes for roughing, but he stayed in the game.

The physicality in this contest didn't end there. With less than two minutes remaining, T.J. Oshie crushed Charlie McAvoy into the boards with a devastating check.

Oshie didn't receive a penalty on the play. McAvoy struggled to get off the ice and immediately went down the tunnel to the dressing room, but head coach Bruce Cassidy said postgame the defenseman "seems to be OK," according to NBC's Joe Haggerty.

The Bruins won 7-3 in the clash between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

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Vancouver Canucks forward Josh Leivo will miss two-to-three months with a fractured kneecap, head coach Travis Green announced Saturday.

Leivo was hit from behind by Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nick Holden on Thursday.

Holden did not receive a penalty nor any supplemental discipline.

Leivo had been thriving in a top-six role on a line with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson. The 26-year-old was enjoying a career year with 19 points in 36 games, potting five of his seven goals in his last 10 contests.

General manager Jim Benning said last week that he wanted to add a top-six winger before the trade deadline. That desire is likely to intensify now.

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New York Rangers forward Lias Andersson has formally asked for a trade, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Andersson is no longer with the club, and Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton will use the holiday freeze to assess the trade market, Dreger added.

The 21-year-old has averaged less than 10 minutes per game with the Rangers this season, tallying just one assist in 17 contests.

Andersson is best known for throwing his silver medal into the stands after Sweden lost to Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championship.

New York drafted Andersson seventh overall in 2017.

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Jack Eichel is in the Buffalo Sabres' lineup on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings after missing one game with an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Eichel's 17-game point streak was snapped due to his absence.

Eichel has enjoyed a Hart Trophy-caliber season, entering Saturday fifth in the NHL with 50 points in 35 games.

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Warning: Story contains graphic content.

New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his wrist, the team announced Saturday.

In a fluke play, Patrice Bergeron's skate cut Clutterbuck's wrist open during Thursday's game against the Boston Bruins.

Clutterbuck received a severe gash on his left wrist. He needed some tendons repaired, but fortunately, the injury wasn't life-threatening, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple.

Clutterbuck has recorded seven points and 116 hits in 33 games this season.

Andrew Ladd, who cleared waivers last month, has been recalled from the minors in Clutterbuck's absence. The 34-year-old has notched seven goals and two assists in 19 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season.

There are four seasons remaining on Ladd's seven-year, $38.5-million deal he signed with the Isles on July 1, 2016.

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Forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx will have to take the lonely flight back home from the Czech Republic, as the Anaheim Ducks prospect was Team Canada's final cut ahead of the 2020 World Junior Championship.

Here's a look at the final 23-man roster, based on Saturday's practice lines, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Forwards

Defensemen

Goalies

Canada will begin its quest for gold on Dec. 26 at 1 p.m. ET against the United States.

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