Ranking The NHL's Three Hart Trophy Finalists
The NHL announced the three finalists for the Hart Trophy on Friday.
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Nikita Kucherov and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon are the trio up for the 2026 Hart Trophy.
The Hart Trophy is awarded "to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team." This accolade is voted on by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Last year's winner was goaltender Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, who became the first netminder to win the Hart Trophy since Carey Price in 2014-15.
Colorado Avalanche Forward Nathan MacKinnon Named Hart Trophy Finalist
The NHL has announced that Nathan MacKinnon has been named a finalist for the 2025-26 Hart Memorial Trophy
1. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
It's not out of the ordinary to see Kucherov put up another 110-point campaign. This season marks the fifth year he's done that after putting up 130 points. It's also the fourth season in which he's scored 120 or more points.
What's even more impressive is the difference between the number of points he scored and the rest of his teammates.
Next on the Lightning's scoring list is left winger Jake Guentzel, who has 38 goals and 88 points in 81 games. He's followed by Brandon Hagel's 36 goals and 74 points in 71 games.
Ultimately, Kucherov had a 42-point lead on his next-best scoring teammate, which only heightens the perception of how valuable he is for Tampa Bay.
Kucherov contributed to about 45 percent of the Lightning's scoring this year. Tampa tallied a total of 286 goals and ranked fourth in scoring in the NHL, and a lot of that credit goes to Kucherov.
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 9:50 AM.