Nikita Kucherov, Hart Trophy finalists set for Thursday reveal
The Hart Trophy winner will be announced Thursday during pregame coverage for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, giving the NHL’s MVP reveal a national stage before puck drop. Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid are the three finalists, and the announcement will come with the best-of-7 final tied 2-2.
Kucherov’s 130-point season
Kucherov built the strongest numbers on Tampa Bay’s side of the race. He finished with 130 points in 76 games, including 44 goals and 86 assists, and led the league with a 1.71 points-per-game average.
He also posted a plus-43 rating and had at least one point in 60 of his 76 games. Forty of those nights came with at least two points, along with nine games of at least four points and two five-point games.
MacKinnon and McDavid cases
MacKinnon pushed the race with 53 goals, 127 points and 74 assists for Colorado. He added a plus-57 rating, 30 power-play points and seven game-winning goals, while piling up 23 points during an 11-game point streak from Oct. 23-Nov. 13. He had at least one point in 61 of his 80 games.
McDavid brought his own résumé into the final three. He led the league with 138 points, scored 48 goals and added 90 assists for Edmonton, winning the Art Ross Trophy for the sixth time. He also had at least one point in 68 of the 82 games he played and finished with 43 multipoint games, seven four-point games, three five-point games and 46 points during a 20-game point streak from Dec. 4-Jan. 13.
Why Thursday carries weight
The announcement comes with each finalist tied to a different kind of season case. Kucherov led the Lightning in goals, assists and points as Tampa Bay finished second in the Atlantic Division at 50-26-5, while MacKinnon helped Colorado win the Presidents’ Trophy at 55-16-11 and the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing 203 goals including shootout goals. Edmonton finished second in the Pacific Division at 41-30-11.
Kucherov won the Hart Trophy in 2018-19, finished third in voting last season and was runner-up in 2023-24. MacKinnon won the award in 2023-24, while McDavid is a three-time winner and a finalist for the seventh time. Last season’s winner was Connor Hellebuyck. Thursday’s reveal will run on ESPN2 in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada before Game 5 starts at 8 p.m. ET.
