Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov won his second Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, edging Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid by 10 points in one of the closest MVP votes of the past three decades.
Kucherov Beats McDavid In Hart Trophy Voting
ESPN reported that Kucherov finished with 1,436 voting points and 72 first-place votes. McDavid had 1,426 points and 68 first-place votes, while Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon finished third with 1,297 points and 52 first-place votes.
The ballot spread showed how tight the race was. Kucherov appeared in the top five on 196 of 198 ballots, McDavid was listed on all 198, and MacKinnon appeared on 195.
According to ESPN, the 10-point margin made it the third-closest Hart Trophy vote in 30 years. It also marked the first time under the current points system, established in 1995-96, that all three finalists received at least 25% of the first-place votes.
Tampa Bay Lightning Star Adds To 2019 MVP
Kucherov first won the Hart Trophy in 2019. This season, the 32-year-old winger produced 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points in 76 games, leading the NHL with 1.71 points per game.
He also finished second in the league scoring race and in assists behind McDavid, who had 138 points and 90 assists in 82 games. Kucherov ranked eighth in goals and was tied for third in the NHL with a plus-43 rating.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper told ESPN that Kucherov's drive is tied to never being satisfied, adding that the winger does not put individual numbers above the team.
Lightning Awards Haul Extends Beyond Kucherov
The Hart result continued a strong awards season for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy won his second Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender, and Cooper won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year for the first time.
ESPN noted that it was the first time since 1976-77 that members of the same organization won the Hart, Vezina and Jack Adams in the same season. That Montreal Canadiens group included Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, Michel Larocque and Scotty Bowman.
Kucherov has now been a Hart finalist in three straight years, finishing third last season and second in 2023-24 before this win. The voting margin says plenty about the field; the production explains why his name ended up at the top.