Leon Draisaitl, Connor Hellebuyck, Nikita Kucherov Finalists for 2025 NHL Hart Trophy

The NHL named Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov as finalists for the 2024-25 Hart Memorial Trophy on Thursday.

Since 1924, the Hart Trophy has been given annually to the league's most valuable player with members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association voting on the honor.

Both Draisaitl and Kucherov are aiming to become two-time Hart Trophy winners, while Hellebuyck is in search of his first.

All three finalists can make a strong claim for league MVP honors, as each of them led the NHL in key categories during the regular season.

Draisaitl, 29, has already secured the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal scorer this season with 52 tallies.

He also had 54 assists, giving him 106 points, which ranked third in the NHL despite missing 11 games.

Draisaitl is now a four-time 50-goal scorer and a six-time 100-point scorer. He won his first Hart Trophy in 2020, and he is guaranteed a top-10 finish in the Hart voting for the fifth time in his career.

The 31-year-old Kucherov tied for the NHL lead with 84 assists and added 37 goals this season, giving him a league-high 121 points.

Kucherov has now won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading point scorer in back-to-back years, and he has earned that honor three times overall.

After finishing second to Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon in the Hart Trophy last season, Kucherov is in line to potentially win his second Hart Trophy overall and his first since 2019.

It has been a decade since a non-forward last won the Hart Trophy, but Hellebuyck arguably has a better chance than any goalie or defenseman during that timeframe to end the drought.

The 31-year-old Hellebuyck led the NHL in goalie wins (47), goals-against average (2.01) and shutouts (eight) this season, and his .925 save percentage was second only to Toronto Maple Leafs netminder Anthony Stolarz, who posted a .926.

Hellebuyck, who is a virtual lock to win his second consecutive and third overall Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender, also led the way for the NHL's best team, as the Jets had a league-high 116 points during the regular season.

Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens was the last goalie to win the Hart Trophy in 2015, and before him, another Habs goaltender in Jose Theodore was the last one to win it in 2002.

If Hellebuyck wins the Hart, he will be only the fourth different goalie to do so since the 1962-63 season.

While no official date has been announced yet, the NHL awards are typically handed out in June.