Kucherov's Hart Trophy Case

0:00On April 17th, as the 2025-26 NHL regular season wraps up, all eyes are on the heart trophy, given each year to the player. Most valuable to his team, voted by pro hockey writers. Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov is the clear frontrunner in NHL.com's latest staff poll, grabbing 10 out of 16 first place votes. And 72 points total. The competition trailed far behind, with Colorado's Nathan McKinnon at 52 points on just one first place nod, Edmonton's Connor McDavid with, 48 and 4 firsts, and San Jose's Maclin Celebrini close at 46 with 1. McDavid took the art ross as top scorer with 138 points, but Kucherov posted 130 in fewer games. Lightning coach John Cooper nailed it, saying Kucherov's value stands out among the league's best, and teammate Eric Cernack called him straight up the MVP. Without Kucherov, Tampa struggled, going 6 wins, 10 losses when held pointless, but 42 wins, 13 losses, 5 ties when he lit the lamp.

1:08Earlier at the 3-quarter mark, Kucherov tied McKinnon, but he pulled away with a monster finish, averaging a league high 1.71. Per game, plus 43 rating, and carrying the load sans top center, Braden point and defenseman Victor headman still 10 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie in those spots. Kucherov's numbers screened team lifeline, 42 more points than his next guy, dictating Tampa's second place Atlantic run with 106 points. The heart's his to lose, proving value over flash. That's your update from NHL News today, powered by AI.