Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon Headline 2025-26 NHL Hart Trophy Finalists

The Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov, Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid are the three finalists for the 2025-26 Hart Memorial Trophy.

They've all collected the honor before, with McDavid trying to capture it for the fourth time. That would move him past Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr and Alexander Ovechkin among a few others.

McDavid led the NHL in points (138), scoring 48 goals and assisting on 90 more. It was the fourth time in the last six years he registered the most assists.

McDavid Goal vs. Avalanche

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The Oilers also finished second in the Pacific division to make the playoffs for the seventh straight year, though their postseason journey is already over.

MacKinnon has a clear edge on McDavid and Kucherov in terms of team success. The Avs won more games (55) and amassed more points (121) than any other team.

Adding to his Hart Trophy resume, the veteran center scored the most goals (53) and had the highest plus-minus (plus-57) in the NHL.

Kucherov and the Lightning also crossed the 100-point plateau, while he hit the century mark in points (44 goals, 86 assists) for the fourth straight year.

A first-round playoff exit was a disappointing outcome for Tampa Bay but doesn't factor into the Hart Trophy calculus.

McDavid, Kucherov and MacKinnon all make compelling cases, and any of the three coming out on top is a plausible result.