Kucherov, Crosby, McDavid named Hart Trophy finalists

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid have been named the 2019 finalists for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, the league announced Sunday.

Kucherov claimed the Art Ross with a dominant 128-point campaign, the highest mark the NHL has seen since 1995-96. The 25-year-old was also nominated for the Ted Lindsay Award, which goes to the league's most outstanding player as voted by his peers.

Crosby is up for MVP for the seventh time in his career, and if he gets selected, it will be the his third Hart Trophy and first since 2014. Sid was a two-way force for the Penguins this season and finished fifth in the NHL with 100 points in 79 games.

McDavid recorded his third consecutive 100-point season, notching a career-best 116 in 78 contests. He shined for the Oilers, who missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, and logged 22:50 per game - the highest mark in the league among all forwards. If he wins the award, he'll join Wayne Gretzky as the only players in NHL history to win multiple MVP's before turning 23.