Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is the NHL’s Hart Trophy winner for the 2024-25 season.

The Hart is awarded annually to the player “adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.” The Jets’ veteran netminder was just the third goalie in the past 10 years to be a finalist for the Hart. He’s the first goalie to win it since Carey Price in 2015, and just the fourth at the position overall.

Hellebuyck also won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender, the third time he’s earned that distinction in his career (2020, ’24), and in so doing became the first goalie to win the Hart and Vezina trophies in the same year since Price a decade ago. He was a nearly unanimous choice for the title, earning 31 of 32 first place votes from the NHL’s general managers. Hellebuyck got 81 of 191 first-place votes for the Hart, as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl was second in votes.

Both honors were handed out during the league’s award show on Thursday prior to Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The broadcast showed footage of Hellebuyck’s family surprising him with the trophies earlier this spring at their home in Michigan. Hellebuyck’s goaltending partner in Winnipeg, Eric Comrie, was also part of the reveal.

“Looking back, I’ll probably picture this day as one of the greatest of my career,” said Hellebuyck of receiving the two trophies.

Hellebuyck had a dominant regular season for the Jets, collecting a league-leading 47 wins as Winnipeg paced the NHL in points to earn the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy. He also led qualified goalies in shutouts (8) and goals-against (2.00) with the second-best save percentage (.925). Hellebuyck’s season also included one eight-game win streak and an 11-game point streak (9-0-2).

The success Hellebuyck generated in the regular season didn’t translate for Winnipeg in the playoffs. He posted a 6-7 mark through two rounds, with an .866 SV% and 3.08 GAA. Hellebuyck was pulled three times in the Jets’ first-round series against St. Louis, which Winnipeg eventually won in seven games. The Jets were then downed by Dallas in their second-round series.

Hellebuyck follows Dominik Hasek (1996-97 and 1997-98 with Buffalo), Jose Theodore (2001-02 with Montreal) and Price (2014-15 with Montreal) as the only goalies to win the Hart in the expansion era (since 1967-68), according to ESPN Research.

The NHL previously announced winners of its other top awards, each with its own unique unveiling similar to Hellebuyck’s.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov won the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the league’s most outstanding player as chosen by the players. Kucherov – who had a league-leading 84 assists in the regular season – had also been a finalist for the Hart Trophy.

Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov was awarded the Selke Trophy, given to the league’s best defensive forward. It was the third Selke win for Barkov (2021, ’24), who helped Florida achieve top 10 finishes in goals-against per game (7th), shots-against per game (5th) and penalty kill efficiency (10th). Barkov also won the King Clancy Trophy, given to the player who “best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar earned the Norris Trophy, given to the defense player who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability. It was the second Norris win of Makar’s career after a regular season where he led all NHL blueliners with 30 goals and 92 points.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson won the Calder Trophy, given to the league’s most proficient rookie. Hutson led all freshmen with 66 points, and his 60 assists tied Larry Murphy for the NHL’s single-season record by a first-year skater.

Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar took home the Lady Byng Trophy, given to the player who best exemplifies gentlemanly conduct. He’s the 10th skater to win the award three times in this career (2016, 2023). Kopitar was assessed just two minor penalties in the regular season while collecting 21 goals and 67 points.

Washington Capitals coach Spencer Carbery won the Jack Adams Award, given to the coach who contributed most to his team’s success. Carbery – in his second season behind the Capitals’ bench – led Washington to a 51-22-9 record and first place finish in the Eastern Conference.

Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin won the Mark Messier Award for Leadership.

Chris Kreider is joining the Anaheim Ducks after the winger waived his no-trade clause to allow the New York Rangers to deal him away.

The Rangers will receive prospect Carey Terrance in the trade, which both teams announced Thursday. The Rangers are also getting a third-round pick in this year’s draft that originally belonged to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while the Ducks are getting back the fourth-round pick that went to New York in the Jacob Trouba trade in December.

To make the deal happen, Kreider had to waive his 15-team no-trade list, which he had recently added Anaheim to.

“Chris Kreider is the type of player we were looking to add this offseason,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “He has size, speed and is a clutch performer that elevates his game in big moments. Chris also upgrades both of our special teams units, something we really needed to address.”

The Ducks will take on the final two years of Kreider’s contract, which pays him $6.5 million annually. That creates cap flexibility for the Rangers heading into free agency on July 1.

Rangers general manager Chris Drury has been looking for ways to shake up his roster after missing the playoffs, continuing a trend that began early in the season when Drury traded team captain Trouba. The Rangers were transparent with Kreider and his representatives since the offseason began about their intentions to move in a different direction.

By getting the move done so early in the offseason, the Rangers felt they could make more moves over the summer, including potential offer sheets.

“We want to thank Chris Kreider for all of his contributions to the Rangers organization over his stellar career,” Drury said in a statement. “Chris has been an integral part of some of the most iconic moments in Rangers history, including setting multiple franchise records and helping the team advance to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. His leadership on the ice and tireless efforts in the community — which he was recognized for as the inaugural recipient of the Rod Gilbert ‘Mr. Ranger’ Award — only add to his distinguished Rangers legacy. Chris will always be a Ranger and we wish him and his family all the best.”

The Ducks and Verbeek, meanwhile, are looking to take big swings to move forward and make the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Last month, Anaheim hired three-time Stanley Cup champion Joel Quenneville as its coach. Quenneville is the second-winningest NHL coach of all time.

Kreider, 34, had played his entire 13-year career with the Rangers, who drafted him in the first round in 2009. He is the Rangers’ all-time playoff leader in goals, power-play goals and game-winning goals. Kreider has 326 career goals and 582 points in 883 regular-season games.

He took a step back in production this season, with 22 goals and eight assists in 68 games. The veteran forward, one of the best net-front presences in the NHL, revealed in April that he dealt with several health issues during the season, including back problems and an illness that led to him experiencing vertigo. Kreider also said he battled through a hand injury that he suffered in the first game after the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he competed for Team USA. He said the hand injury may require offseason surgery.

Terrance, 20, was a second-round pick by the Ducks in 2023 who had 20 goals and 19 assists while serving as captain for the Erie Otters in the OHL this season. He addresses an organizational need for the Rangers as a young center. Terrance won back-to-back world junior championship gold medals with Team USA in 2024 and 2025.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner will have another chance to prove that he’s “Mr. Game 4.”

The Oilers are starting Skinner against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. Skinner was pulled 3:27 into the third period of Game 3 after giving up five goals on 23 shots during Edmonton’s 6-1 loss.

There was some speculation that backup Calvin Pickard could replace Skinner in Game 4. Pickard replaced Skinner in the first round and went 6-0 before an injury against Las Vegas saw Skinner return to the crease. The Oilers had been noncommittal since Game 3 about who would start, but Skinner was confident he would get the call.

“I felt like I was going to be in. I don’t really see too much reason to panic quite yet,” Skinner said when asked about potentially being replaced by Pickard. “We lost two in a row. I’m good in these situations. I know how to bounce back.”

He also knows how to win the fourth game of a series. Skinner is 6-0 lifetime in Game 4, with a 1.26 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage, including two shutouts. Skinner limited the Panthers to one goal in Game 4 in last season’s Stanley Cup Final, which sparked Edmonton’s comeback to force a Game 7.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Skinner seems to get better as series go deeper.

“It’s just how well he’s played in the second half of a series,” Knoblauch said. “That goes for every single series this year and last year. Here’s a guy that’s going to just continue to get better as this series goes on. Hopefully we’ve got a few more games where he can stand up and play really well.”

Knoblauch did make some lineup changes for Game 4. Winger Jeff Skinner draws in for forward Viktor Arvidsson. Skinner last played in Game 5 of the Western Conference final and has a goal and an assist in two playoff games.

Defenseman Troy Stecher replaces defenseman John Klingberg, who was a minus-3 in Game 3. Stecher is a plus-3 in six playoff appearances, having last played in Game 4 against Dallas in the conference final.

The Oilers are also elevating forward Connor Brown to their top line to play alongside star center Connor McDavid and winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

“He’s a guy that’s playing really well,” McDavid said of Brown, who has five goals and three assists in 17 playoff games. “Skates well with the puck and a confident guy that can kind play up and down your lineup.”

Brown will try to get McDavid going after a rare off night for the superstar. Game 3 marked just the 13th time in their playoff history together that both McDavid and Oilers star center Leon Draisaitl were held off the score sheet.

One reason for that, according to the Oilers, was how disjointed the game was from a penalty perspective. Game 3 had the fourth-most penalty minutes (140) for any Stanley Cup Final game in NHL history.

The Panthers, who aren’t expected to make any lineup changes, anticipate Game 4 will be played much differently. Florida defenseman Seth Jones said he expects that “both teams probably want to be a little bit more disciplined” on Thursday night.

“I’m sure it’s going to be just hard hockey between the whistles,” Jones said. “I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of stuff after. I think I’m sure the refs are already talking about trying to keep this thing under control, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be intense and in your face.”

Florida coach Paul Maurice expects the same, though he said it’s less about the Game 3 shenanigans and more about this series starting to creep toward its finale.

“There’s four games left to this series. As you get closer to Game 7, discipline becomes a more and more critical factor,” he said. “I think this is going to be the fastest, most disciplined game played by both teams. It won’t have anything to do with the way [Game 3] ended. It’ll have everything to do with it being Game 4.”

The Panthers and Oilers are scheduled to face off in Game 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

History favors Florida: Teams that win Game 3 of a best-of-seven series with the series tied 1-1 have won 23 of 30 times. Six of the past seven teams that held a 2-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final have gone on to win the Cup. Defending champions such as the Panthers are 22-1 in the Stanley Cup Final when leading after three games.