Connor McDavid was named a finalist for the Hart Trophy and will seek his fourth NHL MVP award, the report says, joining Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov as the three finalists announced on Friday.
The Hart Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the report says, and the other two finalists have previously won the award.
Notable in his absence as a Hart finalist was San Jose rookie Macklin Celebrini, the report says, who set a franchise record with 115 points, including 45 goals, and finished with 56 more points and 21 more goals than any other Sharks player. San Jose missed the playoffs by four points, per the report, and Celebrini was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award alongside McDavid and Kucherov.
The report says McDavid led the NHL with 138 points in 82 games and won his sixth scoring title, while also leading the league in assists with 90. He finished third in goals with 48, and produced 24 points in 14 games while teammate Leon Draisaitl was sidelined late in the season. The report notes McDavid has won the Hart in 2023, 2021 and 2017 and has been a finalist seven times in his 11-year career; he also won the 2024 Conn Smythe Trophy. If he wins the Hart again, the report says, he would tie Eddie Shore for the third-most MVP wins in NHL history.
Kucherov, the report says, finished second in the league with 130 points and matched his career best with 44 goals in 76 games, posting a 1.71 points-per-game average and a plus-43 rating. The Lightning relied on Kucherov through injuries and absences; he finished 42 points ahead of any teammate and had 36 more even-strength points than any other Lightning skater. Tampa Bay finished second in the Atlantic with a .646 points percentage.
MacKinnon, the report says, led the NHL with 53 goals in 80 games to win the Rocket Richard Trophy and paced the league in plus/minus at plus-57, even-strength goals (42) and shots on goal (350). He ranked third in points with 127 as the Colorado Avalanche captured the Presidents’ Trophy with a .738 points percentage. The report adds MacKinnon won the Hart in 2024 and that Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck was last season’s MVP.
