Kucherov's Historic MVP
Nikita Kucherov Earns Second Hart Trophy in NHL's Closest MVP Vote in 24 Years
Nikita Kucherov has won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the 2025-26 season, beating Connor McDavid by just 10 points — the closest margin in 24 years, according to Yahoo Sports. It is Kucherov's second Hart, having first won the award in 2018-19.
The Tampa Bay Lightning winger recorded 130 points in 76 games — 44 goals and 86 assists — for a rate of 1.71 points per game, per The Globe and Mail. The Lightning swept the night's top individual honors, with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy winning the Vezina Trophy and head coach Jon Cooper winning the Jack Adams Award.
The Closest Hart Vote Since a 2002 Tie
Kucherov edged McDavid 1,436 points to 1,426 in the Professional Hockey Writers Association ballot. Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche finished third with 1,297 points. Yahoo Sports reported this is the first time in the 30-year history of the current points system that all three finalists each received at least 25% of first-place votes.
The last vote this close came in 2001-02, when Jose Theodore and Jarome Iginla finished in a dead tie at 434 points each. Theodore won on a tiebreaker. Kucherov received 72 first-place votes to McDavid's 68. McDavid was the only player to appear on all 198 ballots, per Yahoo Sports.
Kucherov's "Team Dependency" Edge Over McDavid
McDavid had a strong case. He won the Art Ross Trophy with 138 points — more than Kucherov. He also won the Ted Lindsay Award, which is voted on by the players themselves. But writers gave Kucherov the Hart, which goes to the player deemed most valuable to his team.
The numbers back the argument. Kucherov finished with 42 more points than his next-closest Lightning teammate, Jake Guentzel. He was on the ice for over 80% of all Tampa Bay goals at even strength. Kucherov said winning for the same organization that drafted him makes the trophy "even more special," per the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Lightning Sweep Individual Awards Despite First-Round Exit
Vasilevskiy led the league with 39 wins to claim the Vezina Trophy. Cooper took the Jack Adams Award, becoming the first Lightning coach to win it. He is the longest-tenured coach in the NHL and guided Tampa Bay to its ninth straight playoff berth. Cooper was surprised at a hospital ribbon-cutting ceremony, per NHL.com.
The sweep came with a note of irony. Tampa Bay was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens. Critics noted the Lightning won every major individual award despite going home early. Vasilevskiy said the Vezina is "all about the team," adding "you will never win this award without a good team in front of you."
Teen Macklin Celebrini Signals a New Generation
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini finished fourth in Hart voting at just 19 years old. He led the Sharks with 115 points and became the first teenager in franchise history to score 30 or more goals in a season, per NHL.com. His finish was the highest for a Sharks player in over a decade.
Analysts see Celebrini as a sign of change at the top of the league. Kucherov, at 32, joins McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Alex Ovechkin as the only active players with multiple Hart Trophies, per Yardbarker. But the next generation is already knocking on the door.
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