- Nikita Kucherov wins his second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, seven years after his first
- He edged Connor McDavid by 10 points in the vote, with Nathan MacKinnon third
- Read below for the vote breakdown, his numbers and what Jon Cooper said about him
Nikita Kucherov is the NHL’s most valuable player again.
The Lightning winger won the Hart Trophy on Thursday for the second time in his career, edging Connor McDavid by 10 points in the voting and beating out Nathan MacKinnon, who finished third. All three were named finalists last month.
It’s his first Hart since 2018-19, so seven years sit between the two trophies.
The race was tight all the way through. It was the first time under the current format that all three finalists each pulled at least 25 percent of the first-place votes.
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston posted the full ballot:
Kucherov got the news in person. Keeper of the Cup Phil Pritchard hauled the trophy down from Toronto and set it on a table in a dark room at Tampa Bay’s practice facility, with coach Jon Cooper there to spring the surprise.
He kept it short once the lights came up.
“Thanks for this honor. Just really grateful for my teammates, coaches, my family,” Kucherov said. “This means a lot.”
Cooper was asked what separates his star. He pointed to the fact that Kucherov never coasts.
“One of the great things that makes ‘Kuch’ Kuch is he’s never satisfied,” Cooper said. “He could have 50 goals one year, well, he wants 51 the next year. He could have a hundred assists one year. He might want 110 the next year.”
The numbers backed up the trophy. Kucherov finished second in the league with 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) in 76 games, led the NHL at 1.71 points per game and posted a plus-43 rating. He had a point in 60 of his 76 games.
Take a look at why they call him the human highlight reel:
It was a big night for the whole organization. Andrei Vasilevskiy took the Vezina and Cooper won the Jack Adams, which means Vasilevskiy and Kucherov have now claimed the Vezina and Hart in the same season twice. McDavid did not leave empty-handed either, picking up the Ted Lindsay Award on Sunday.
Kucherov already owns two Stanley Cups, three Art Ross Trophies and now a pair of Harts. The trophy case keeps filling up.
