Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov has won the 2025-26 Hart Memorial Trophy, surviving one of the tightest voting races in NHL history. The Professional Hockey Writers Association selected the 32-year-old for the award, which is presented annually to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.

Kucherov’s Historic Season

Kucherov secured the trophy with 1,436 total points and 72 first-place votes, appearing as a top-five selection on 196 out of 198 ballots. He beat McDavid by a mere 10 points. McDavid finished right behind him with 1,426 points and 68 first-place nods, while Nathan MacKinnon took third place with 1,297 points and 52 first-place votes.

On the ice, Kucherov posted 130 total points in 76 games, recording 44 goals and 86 assists. His production helped power Tampa Bay to their ninth consecutive playoff appearance. He outscored his closest teammate, Jake Guentzel, by 42 points. That stood as the second-largest scoring gap between teammates in the league this year.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.