Kucherov Joins Rare Air With Second Hart Trophy

Nikita Kucherov just put himself in a very short club, and the league notices when that happens. The Hart win is more than another line on the resume, because it says he is still forcing his way into the center of every serious MVP discussion. That matters in a league where the best players usually have to spend years fighting for recognition and then fight again to keep it. Kucherov has now made the whole conversation a little more crowded for everybody else.