The National Hockey League revealed the winner of the Hart Trophy on Thursday night. Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets won it for the first time in his career. Hellebuyck became the fourth goalie in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy and the third American.
No New Jersey Devils players were finalists, but three of them received votes. Captain Nico Hischier led the way with one fourth-place vote and one fifth-place vote. Hischier came in fourth place for the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward. He had a 35-goal season while playing some of the best defensive hockey in the league.
Jack Hughes received one fifth-place vote. Before getting hurt, he was on pace for his first career 100-point season. Hughes had 27 goals and 43 assists for 70 points in 62 games. Hughes is the offensive catalyst for the Devils, and hopefully he recovers from shoulder surgery enough to get even more Hart Trophy votes.
When he went down, things were bleak for them going forward, as few make the impact that he does. He would have finished with a lot more than one fifth-place vote had he stayed healthy.
The New Jersey Devils received a surprising amount of love for the Hart Trophy
Jesper Bratt also received one fifth-place vote. Bratt led New Jersey, a playoff team, in scoring with 21 goals and 67 assists for 88 points in 81 games. His production naturally came down a little bit when Hughes went down, but he was still one of New Jersey's most dangerous forwards.
Jack Hughes is the one on the roster who is most likely to win the Hart Trophy at one point in his career. He should blow past 100 points in years that he plays 75+ games, which always gets guys in the conversation.
The Devils have high-end players who can lead a team to the promised land. Having three forwards earn Hart Trophy votes speaks volumes, especially in a year like this, where there were some consequential injuries. If they can add some more depth and reconstruct their roster at the bottom slightly, they will be lethal in 2025-26. The better the Devils get as a team, the more Hart Trophy votes that guys like Hischier, Hughes, and Bratt will get.