In a bit of news that shouldn’t shock anyone, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was named as one of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy. Along with Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid, Kucherov is up for the de facto MVP award in the NHL.
The 30-year-old produced the highest point total in Lightning history as he racked up 44 goals and an even 100 assists, becoming the first winger to hit the century mark in helpers in league history. Without a doubt, the Lightning would not have made the playoffs without his historic season.
Is it enough to knock off MacKinnon, who finished with 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists) or McDavid, who also posted a 100-assist season (along with 32 goals). Edmonton’s season pretty much follows McDavid’s season: he struggled at the beginning of the year and their coach got canned. He started doing McDavid things and they’re in the second round of the playoffs. His 132-point season looks even more impressive when you realize he did it in 76 games. With another 6 games under his belt, this might not even be a race.
We’ll find out the winner during the NHL Awards in Las Vegas later this summer.
Other Hockey News
Team Canada releases updated World Championship roster [Darren Dreger Twitter]
The Lightning doubled their World Championship participation as Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel booked tickets to Czechia. Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli are heading back the other way. For Paul, it will be the second time he’s played for Canada in the WC as he had 2 goals and 2 assists in 10 games back in 2021. Hagel was also on that team, but was held pointless in his 10 games. The tournament starts on Friday.
Steven Stamkos contract projections [The Athletic]
Joe Smith and Shayna Goldman take a look at what kind of contract The Captain might be signing, either with the Lightning or, ugh, another franchise. It’s probably going to be a lot closer to Anze Kopitar’s two-year, $7 million AAV deal than Julien BriseBois would like.
St. Louis removes interim tag from Drew Bannister’s coaching title [St. Louis Blues]
The former Bolt did an admirable job filling in after Craig Berube was let go. The team went 30-19-5 in the 54 games that he coached. It wasn’t enough for a playoff spot, but did help the team improve by 11 points over their 2022-23 record.
San Jose Sharks win draft lottery [ESPN]
Their dreadful season paid off with the top pick in the 2024 draft. It’s assumed that they will add Macklin Celebrini to their prospect pool, which The Athletic had ranked 4th in the league. This is the first time in their franchise history that they will select first overall. Congrats to the Sharks. Wasn’t it fun when everyone thought Buccigross had leaked the draft order?
Updated Prospect Rankings [The Athletic]
Following the Under-18 World Championships, Scott Wheeler updated his notes on the top prospects in the draft (Celebrini is still on top).
Tilman Fertitta not the only person expressing interest in bringing the NHL to Houston [Houston Chronicle]
The league just took one expansion market off the table by moving the Coyotes to Salt Lake City. That could boost Houston’s chances at getting a team when the league is ready to expand. While Houston Rockets’ owner Tilman Fertitta has long been named as an interested party, commissioner Gary Bettman stated that he’s not the only one.
PWHL Semifinal match-ups set [The Ice Garden]
The Toronto franchise was the top seed and had the right to choose their opponent. They did so, picking the fourth-seeded Minnesota franchise. That leaves Montreal and Boston to duke it out in the other semifinal match-up. Meanwhile, the team in New York will have the first pick overall in the upcoming draft.
