Nathan MacKinnon falls short of winning his second Hart Trophy

Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon was a finalist for the Hart Trophy. Again. But as has occurred multiple times throughout his career, the center didn’t walk home with the hardware.

This marked the the fifth time in his dazzling career that MacKinnon has been up for the Hart, including when he won it for his efforts during the 2023-24 season.

Nathan MacKinnon finished second following both the 2017-18 season and 2019-2020 season. He came in third in 2020-21, making this his second third-place finish, before finally breaking through and winning it a few years later.

MacKinnon was brilliant again this year, pacing the Avalanche with 127 points. He scored 53 goals, tops in the NHL, to earn the Rocket Richard Trophy. He also dished out 74 assists which was the third most of his future Hall of Fame career.

Only McDavid (138) and Kucherov (130) finished with more points than Nathan MacKinnon. And although this is a regular season award, both the Oilers and Lightning lost in the first-round of the playoffs, while MacKinnon’s Avalanche advanced to the Western Conference Final.

Nonetheless, the voters decided to award Kucherov. In a season that ended in disappointment for his team, with the Avs being swept by the Golden Knights in the WCF, this feels like a fitting end. Another gut punch for the Avalanche summarizes the 2025-26 season.