The NHL announced this year's winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy on June 12, and it was not Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. Instead, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has been named the NHL's most valuable player, becoming the first goalie to win the award since Carey Price did back in 2015.
The full voting results were revealed following Hellebuyck's win, and Kucherov finished in third place. The Lightning superstar received 25 first-place votes, 40 second-place votes, 51 third-place votes, 59 fourth-place votes, and 11 fifth-place votes from the voters.
Kucherov certainly made a real case for himself to win the Hart Trophy this year, but he won't be taking home the award this year. In 78 games, the 6-foot winger recorded 37 goals, 84 assists, and a league-leading 121 points. Due to this, he won both the Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award for this season.
Do you feel that Kucherov deserved to win the Hart Memorial Trophy over Hellebuyck? Let your thoughts be heard in the comments.
