McDavid, MacKinnon, Kucherov named finalists for Hart Trophy

The usual suspects are back at it again in the Hart Memorial Trophy race.  

After missing out of the top three in Hart voting last year for the first time since the 2019-20 season, McDavid is back on the podium after finishing with a league-leading 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists), earning him his sixth career Art Ross Trophy. 

The 29-year-old already has three Hart trophies to his name, and would become the fourth player in NHL history to have four should he win another, joining Wayne Gretzky (nine), Gordie Howe (six) and Eddie Shore (four).

MacKinnon, meanwhile, is in line for his second Hart after finally breaking through in the 2023-24 season. The 30-year-old had a dominant year with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche, leading the team with 127 points (53 goals, 74 assists). He claimed the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy this season with his league-leading 53 goals.

Along with his stellar point tally, the Halifax native led the league in plus/minus at plus-57, and his 42 even-strength goals paced the category. 

Kucherov is gunning for his second Hart after taking home the hardware for the 2018-19 season. The Russian Rifle would tie Sidney Crosby for the longest gap between two Hart wins after the Penguins superstar did so in the 2006-07 and 2013-14 season (six-year gap). This is his third consecutive season as a finalist.

The 32-year-old Kucherov remained productive for the Bolts, picking up 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) en route to his fourth straight 100-plus-point season. He finished with a plus-43, making him the only non-Avalanche in the top five this year.

Members of the PHWA voted on the award at the end of the regular season.