By Joe Coopersmith
NHLPA
Kucherov Earns His Second TLA, as Voted by the Players, While MacKinnon and Makar Finish as Finalists
TORONTO (June 4, 2025) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association announced today forward Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning has received the players’ vote as the 2024-25 Ted Lindsay Award recipient. The TLA is presented annually to “the most outstanding player in the NHL,” as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA.
This marks Kucherov’s second Ted Lindsay Award, following 2018-19 when he was voted the most outstanding player. Kucherov was also a TLA finalist in 2023-24. The forward from Maykop, Adygea, Russia, accumulated a league-leading 121 points (37-84–121) in 78 regular-season games in 2024-25 to secure his third Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in scoring.
He tallied a league-leading 84 assists during the regular season to become the fourth player in NHL history to record three consecutive 80-assist seasons. Kucherov also led the league in points per game (1.55), primary assists (56), power-play points (46), power-play assists (38) and he finished third in even-strength points (75). Kucherov ranked second in multi-point games (33), tied for fifth in game-winning goals (9), tied for 13th in goals (37) and placed third among right wingers in average time on ice (21:11).
The 2024-25 Ted Lindsay Award was presented to Kucherov by his teammates in Tampa Bay. Video of the presentation can be found here.
About the Ted Lindsay Award:
The Ted Lindsay Award is unique as the only NHL award voted on by the players themselves, carrying on the tradition established in 1970-71 with the Lester B. Pearson Award. NHLPA members annually vote on the player they deem to be the most outstanding in the NHL regular season. The award was reintroduced in 2009-10 as the namesake of the late Ted Lindsay to honour his legacy as a Hockey Hall of Fame forward known for skill, tenacity and leadership, along with his role in establishing the original Players’ Association. For more information on the TLA, visit NHLPA.com. Join the conversation by using #TedLindsayAward.
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