McDavid, Kucherov, MacKinnon Hart finalists

Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche were named the three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy on Friday, recognizing the National Hockey League's most valuable player for the 2025-26 season.

The award, voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, honors the player deemed most valuable to his team. All three finalists are former winners. McDavid, 29, captured his sixth Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer with 48 goals, 90 assists and 138 points in 82 games. He ranked third in goals and first in assists while leading the NHL in categories including power-play points and multi-point games. Edmonton stayed in the Pacific Division race despite center Leon Draisaitl missing time since mid-March with a lower-body injury; McDavid posted 11 goals and 24 points in the Oilers' final 14 games.

Kucherov, 32, finished second in scoring with 44 goals, 86 assists and 130 points in 76 games, averaging 1.71 points per game despite missing time for injury and illness. The Lightning right wing topped the league in points per game and assists per game while ranking high in...