The NHL has identified three contenders for the title of the best player of the 2023/24 season

Right winger Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, center Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, and center Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers have been named as the three finalists for the Hart Trophy for the 2023–2024 season, as announced today by the National Hockey League.

The Hart Trophy is awarded annually to the league's most valuable player during the regular NHL season.

Kucherov, MacKinnon, and McDavid were the top scorers of the season, tallying 144, 140, and 132 points respectively. McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers could win the Hart Trophy for the second consecutive season and fourth time in his career.

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MacKinnon finished second in the NHL in scoring and set a franchise record with 51–89–140 (82 GP). Kucherov led the NHL and set a franchise record with 44–100–144 (81 GP) – the second-highest point total among all players in the last 28 years.

McDavid, the reigning Hart Trophy winner, ranked third in the league in points: 32–100–132 (76 GP). He became the sixth player in NHL history to finish at least seven regular seasons with 100 or more points, and the first since 1992–93 to achieve this feat for four or more consecutive seasons.