While Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon all delivered extraordinary seasons, it appears the electorate favored Kucherov most significantly.
The standout player for the Tampa Bay Lightning was recognized on Thursday as the recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy for the 2025-26 season, designating him the NHL’s most valuable player, in a remarkably close contest against the other two contenders, marking the closest outcome in over twenty years.
This marks Kucherov’s second achievement of this award, his initial victory occurring in the 2018-19 season.
According to the published voting results, Kucherov accumulated 1,436 points and 72 top-rank selections, narrowly surpassing McDavid’s 1,426 points and 68 top-rank selections. MacKinnon trailed with 1,297 points and 52 top-rank votes.
This outcome represents the closest ballot count since José Théodore and Jarome Iginla concluded with an identical point total in the 2001-02 season, with Théodore ultimately securing the accolade due to a mere three additional first-place ballots. Furthermore, this marks a historical first within the three-decade span of the existing voting mechanism, where three individual players each garnered no less than one-fourth of the total first-place endorsements.
Securing the fourth position was Macklin Celebrini, the rising star from the San Jose Sharks. At just 19 years of age, it’s reasonable to anticipate him contending for numerous future distinctions. Montreal Canadiens’ centerman Nick Suzuki was the sole other individual to garner a top-rank vote, earning a single one.
Amassing 44 goals and 86 assists, Kucherov guided the Lightning to a season record of 50 wins, 26 losses, and 6 overtime losses. Regrettably, he was unable to avert a fourth consecutive first-round elimination, with the team falling to the Montreal Canadiens over a seven-game series. Kucherov contributed a goal and five assists during that particular series, yet failed to register any offensive statistics across the concluding three matchups.
Besides Kucherov’s Hart Trophy success, the Lightning organization also saw Andrei Vasilevskiy claim the Vezina Trophy for outstanding goaltending and Jon Cooper secure the Jack Adams Award for superior coaching.
