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Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP for the second time, adding to his team's awards haul.
Kucherov finished second in the NHL with 130 points in 76 games - a league-best 1.71 points per game - as the Lightning clinched their ninth consecutive playoff berth and finished second in the Atlantic Division. He had 42 more points than his closest teammate, the second-largest gap between a team’s top two scorers in 2025-26 after the San Jose Sharks' Macklin Celebrini.
He edged fellow finalists Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) in a vote by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. He beat McDavid by 10 points.
Kucherov led the league in scoring the past two seasons and was a finalist both times. He won the award in 2018-19.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (Vezina Trophy) and coach Jon Cooper (Jack Adams Award) also received NHL honors this season.
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player): Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid
Vezina Trophy (goaltender): Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy
Norris Trophy (defenseman): Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski
Calder Trophy (rookie): New York Islanders' Matthew Schaefer
Jack Adams Award (coach): Lightning's Jon Cooper
Selke Trophy (defensive forward): Montreal Canadiens' Nick Suzuki
Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship): Canadiens' Cole Caufield
Masterton Trophy (perseverance): Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award: Landeskog
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lightning's Nikita Kucherov wins second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP
Continue reading...
Kucherov finished second in the NHL with 130 points in 76 games - a league-best 1.71 points per game - as the Lightning clinched their ninth consecutive playoff berth and finished second in the Atlantic Division. He had 42 more points than his closest teammate, the second-largest gap between a team’s top two scorers in 2025-26 after the San Jose Sharks' Macklin Celebrini.
He edged fellow finalists Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) in a vote by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. He beat McDavid by 10 points.
Kucherov led the league in scoring the past two seasons and was a finalist both times. He won the award in 2018-19.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (Vezina Trophy) and coach Jon Cooper (Jack Adams Award) also received NHL honors this season.
Other NHL awards winners
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player): Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid
Vezina Trophy (goaltender): Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy
Norris Trophy (defenseman): Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski
Calder Trophy (rookie): New York Islanders' Matthew Schaefer
Jack Adams Award (coach): Lightning's Jon Cooper
Selke Trophy (defensive forward): Montreal Canadiens' Nick Suzuki
Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship): Canadiens' Cole Caufield
Masterton Trophy (perseverance): Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award: Landeskog
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lightning's Nikita Kucherov wins second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP
Continue reading...
