NEW YORK -- Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid – the same trio as in 2023-24 – are the three finalists for the 2025-26 Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” the National Hockey League announced today.
Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted ballots for the Hart Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.
Following are the finalists, in alphabetical order:
Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Kucherov finished second in the NHL with 44-86—130 in 76 games – 42 points more than his closest teammate (Jake Guentzel: 38-50—88 in 81 GP) – to power the Lightning to their ninth straight playoff berth. Kucherov’s 42-point edge was the second-largest gap between a team’s top two scorers in 2025-26, trailing just the 56-point difference between Macklin Celebrini (45-70—115 in 82 GP) and Will Smith (24-35—59 in 69 GP) of the San Jose Sharks. Kucherov, who found the scoresheet in 60 of his 76 appearances (78.9%), additionally ranked among the League leaders in points per game (1st; 1.71), even-strength assists (1st; 57), multi-assist performances (t-1st; 25), assists (2nd; 86), even-strength points (2nd; 92), multi-point performances (2nd; 40), plus/minus (t-3rd; +43), even-strength goals (4th; 35), power-play assists (4th; 29), multi-goal performances (t-4th; 8), power-play points (6th; 37), game-winning goals (t-7th; 8) and goals (8th; 44). Kucherov, who totaled 44-100—144 in 2023-24 (81 GP), became the 10th player in League history to produce multiple 130-point seasons. He also became the 17th-fastest player in NHL history to reach both the 1,000-point (809 GP on Oct. 25 vs. ANA) and 1,100-point (863 GP on March 12 vs. DET) milestones. The 32-year-old Kucherov, a finalist for the third straight season (3rd in 2024-25 and 2nd in 2023-24) after claiming the award in 2018-19, is seeking to become the third player in NHL history to go seven-plus years between Hart Trophy wins, after Jean Beliveau (8 years, 1955-56 and 1963-64) and Sidney Crosby (7 years, 2006-07 and 2013-14).
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon topped the NHL with 53 goals in 80 contests (53-74—127) to capture his first career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy and lead the Avalanche (55‑16‑11) to a franchise-record 121-point season as they earned their fourth Presidents’ Trophy as the League’s best regular season team. He additionally paced the NHL with 42-55—97 at even strength, the most such points in a single campaign since 1990-91 (when Wayne Gretzky produced 33-70—103 w/ LAK), and a +57 rating, tied for the fourth-highest figure by any skater in a single season since 1987-88 (behind Johnny Gaudreau: +64 in 2021-22 w/ CGY, Elias Lindholm: +61 in 2021-22 w/ CGY and Vladimir Konstantinov: +60 in 1995-96 w/ DET). MacKinnon, who collected points in 61 of his 80 outings (76.3%) and became the 20th-fastest player in NHL history to reach the 1,100-point milestone (917 GP on Jan. 19 vs. WSH), also finished among the top three in 2025-26 in even-strength goals (1st; 42), multi-goal performances (1st; 14), shots on goal (1st; 350), even-strength assists (2nd; 55), points (3rd; 127), multi-assist performances (3rd; 22), multi-point performances (3rd; 39), assists (t-3rd; 74) and shootout-deciding goals (t-3rd; 3). The 30-year-old MacKinnon is a Hart Trophy finalist for the fifth time, after winning the award in 2023-24, placing second in voting in 2019-20 and 2017-18, and ranking third in 2020-21. He and Kucherov are seeking to become the fourth active player with multiple Hart Trophies, following Connor McDavid (3), Alex Ovechkin (3) and Sidney Crosby (2).
Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
McDavid led the NHL with 48-90—138 in 82 contests to earn his sixth career Art Ross Trophy, tied for the second-most in League history, and guide the Oilers to their seventh consecutive playoff appearance. He factored on 48.9 percent of Edmonton’s 282 total goals (excluding shootout-deciding goals), the highest share in 2025-26 ahead of Macklin Celebrini (46.2% w/ SJS) and Nikita Kucherov (45.5% w/ TBL). McDavid did so by finding the scoresheet in a League-best 68 of his 82 outings (82.9%), buoyed by a career-high 20-game point streak (the longest in the NHL this season) from Dec. 4 – Jan 13 (19-27—46). He also ranked among the top three performers in assists (1st; 90), power-play assists (1st; 41), power-play points (1st; 54), multi-point performances (1st; 43), multi-assist performances (t-1st; 25), shots on goal (2nd; 306), goals (3rd; 48), multi-goal performances (3rd; 11) and even-strength points (t‑3rd; 82). McDavid became the third player in League history, after Wayne Gretzky (15) and Mario Lemieux (10), to produce at least nine 100-point seasons when he hit the century mark on Feb. 26 at LAK. He also became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach the 1,100-point milestone (726 GP on Nov. 3 at STL) and later became the third-fastest player to 1,200 career points (784 GP on March 24 at UTA). The 29-year-old McDavid – a three-time winner (2022-23, 2020-21 and 2016-17) and finalist for the seventh time in his 11 NHL seasons – is looking to become the fourth player in NHL history with at least four Hart Trophies, after Gretzky (9), Gordie Howe (6) and Eddie Shore (4).
