Nikita Kucherov wins MVP in closest vote in over two decades

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov. David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Lightning's Nikita Kucherov wins NHL MVP in closest vote in over two decades

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Jun 11, 2026 8:17 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Lightning may not have won a playoff series this season, but they did have a ton of success when it comes to the NHL's individual awards.

Superstar forward Nikita Kucherov continued that on Thursday night when he was announced as the winner of the 2025-26 Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player.

He beat out Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid by 10 points in the voting, making it the closest MVP vote since the 2001-02 season when goalie Jose Theodore and forward Jarome Iginla were tied in the voting results.

Theodore ended up winning by having more first-place votes.

This is Kucherov's second MVP award, making him one of just 20 players in NHL history to win it at least two times.

Nikita Kucherov brings home another NHL MVP award

Kucherov received 72 first-place votes.

Lightning Nikita Kucherov wins the Hart Trophy over Connor McDavid by 10 points

This is the closest Hart Trophy vote since 2001-02 when Jose Theodore tied Jarome Iginla on points

(Theodore had more 1st place votes) pic.twitter.com/xbdCPpMLHR
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) June 11, 2026

McDavid won the Ted Lindsay Award earlier this week, which is given to the most outstanding player as voted by the NHL players.

The MVP award is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writer's Association.

He joins head coach Jon Cooper (Jack Adams Award as coach of the year) and starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (Vezina Trophy as best goalie) as individual award winners in Tampa Bay this season.

Kucherov finished the regular season with 130 points (44 goals and 86 assists) in 76 games. McDavid won the scoring title with 138 points (in six more games), but the way Kucherov helped lift a Lightning team that went through some major injuries over the course of the season likely gave him the edge in the eyes of many voters.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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