Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid named finalists for 2023-24 NHL Hart Trophy

The award honors the MVP in the NHL

By Chris Bengel May 7, 2024 at 11:52 am ET• 1 min read

The NHL has announced that Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), and Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) have been named the finalists for the 2023-24 Hart Trophy. The annual award honors the most valuable player to their respective team in the NHL.

Kucherov led the NHL with 144 points (44 goals & 100 assists) in 81 games, which was a Lightning franchise record. It marked the second-most points by a player in the past 28 years. Kucherov also ranked first in power-play assists (40), power-play points (53), and three-point games (8). Kucherov also became the sixth player in NHL history to tally 100 assists in a single season.

If Kucherov wins the award, he would become the fourth active player to win multiple Hart Trophies in his career along with McDavid, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

MacKinnon finished second behind Kucherov with 140 points (51 goals & 89 assists) in 82 games. The Avalanche star's 140-point campaign was just the fifth such season over the past 30 years. MacKinnon set career-highs in both goals and assists) and became just the sixth player in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history to tally a 50-goal season.