Nikita Kucherov is the clear favorite for the Art Ross Trophy

[Video Nasty]

I think people are jumping the gun a bit assuming McD sits out the rest of the season. He's out tonight, questionable for tomorrow, but they still have 3 more games next week.

Agreed. Knee jerk initial reaction when the news first came out made me think he would sit the rest of the way. The way it has unfolded since and his interview about tonight’s game makes me think he’ll play two of the remaining five. Fine line between not being rushed back and sitting too long before the playoffs begin.

Thankfully, through no small part of his own, the Oilers are playoff bound and in a better position now to be more cautious than they were in October.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Change Kucherov's name to Nicholas Kane from Long Island and he'll get almost every 1st place vote this year.

3 decades after Fedorov's Hart win and we're still gonna claim nonsense like this?

 

[Stammertime91]

Shootouts, are we really going there now?

Kuch is 0 for 2 this year.
Mack is 0 for 3.

What a ringing endorsement

 

[WalterLundy]

If we are honest, the only reason there's a race is because McDavid got injured

I say this with all due respect to Kucherov and preface it by saying that injuries are part of the game and he flat out deserves the Ross. I’ve been vocal about that repeatedly and mean it. He’s been incredible.
With that said I think it is fair to say that if McDavid were 100% healthy this year he would win the Ross relatively comfortably even with two 140 point scorers. 16 points in his first 16 games and turns around and puts up 114 in his next 58 games to take the lead briefly. Not only is that a 160+ point pace it was the best statistical stretch of his career and he did it while not looking 100% with his shot or stickhandling due to his first injury.

Kucherov and MacKinnon were close enough in that span as well to make it a race if that were the season but McDavid has also put up over 160 in 82 consecutive games before. Nobody else from this era has come close. There is no reason to doubt his capabilities there and it isn’t mere hypotheticals. With that said Kucherov deserves it and deserves the full shine in his premiere season.

 

[DMXATF23]

I say this with all due respect to Kucherov and preface it by saying that injuries are part of the game and he flat out deserves the Ross. I’ve been vocal about that repeatedly and mean it. He’s been incredible.
With that said I think it is fair to say that if McDavid were 100% healthy this year he would win the Ross relatively comfortably even with two 140 point scorers. 16 points in his first 16 games and turns around and puts up 114 in his next 58 games. Not only is that a 160+ point pace it was the best statistical stretch of his career and he did it while not looking 100% with his shot or stickhandling due to his first injury.

Kucherov and MacKinnon were close enough in that span as well to make it a race if that were the season but McDavid has also put up over 160 in 82 consecutive games before. Nobody else from this era has come close. There is no reason to doubt his capabilities there and it isn’t mere hypotheticals. With that said Kucherov deserves it and deserves the full shine in his premiere season.

So if we leave out the part of the season where he wasnt nearly 2 ppg and extrapolate the part where is, the math works? That's not how life does, unfortunately.

 

[Stammertime91]

I say this with all due respect to Kucherov and preface it by saying that injuries are part of the game and he flat out deserves the Ross. I’ve been vocal about that repeatedly and mean it. He’s been incredible.
With that said I think it is fair to say that if McDavid were 100% healthy this year he would win the Ross relatively comfortably even with two 140 point scorers. 16 points in his first 16 games and turns around and puts up 114 in his next 58 games. Not only is that a 160+ point pace it was the best statistical stretch of his career and he did it while not looking 100% with his shot or stickhandling due to his first injury.

Kucherov and MacKinnon were close enough in that span as well to make it a race if that were the season but McDavid has also put up over 160 in 82 consecutive games before. Nobody else from this era has come close. There is no reason to doubt his capabilities there and it isn’t mere hypotheticals. With that said Kucherov deserves it and deserves the full shine in his premiere season.

Oh my God a rational post, what the hell is this?

 

[Regal]

Agreed. Knee jerk initial reaction when the news first came out made me think he would sit the rest of the way. The way it has unfolded since and his interview about tonight’s game makes me think he’ll play two of the remaining five. Fine line between not being rushed back and sitting too long before the playoffs begin.

Thankfully, through no small part of his own, the Oilers are playoff bound and in a better position now to be more cautious than they were in October.

It’ll be interesting to see what they do tomorrow with the division up for grabs still. I wonder if he’d play that game if he’s good enough but rest the following game against the Sharks since they should beat them regardless.

 

[um]

Can't enter zone before tbe puck

That’s a delayed offside, play doesn’t stop until the puck is touched.

 

[Coffey]

Did anyone use the argument of Mackinnon being a volume shooter yet? Hogging the puck and shooting so much that he's bound to score a lot?
He's on pace to having the 4th most shots in a season in the last 2 decades. (With Ovie holding the top 3 in 06, 08 and 09)

And he would be 5th all time in the last 50 years, as Kariya had 429 shots in 98.

 

[DFC]

Looks like Conor McDavid will miss the rest of regular season. So Kucherov will be the only one to score 100 assists this season

Even as a Kucherov fan, that's disappointing. I was actually looking forward to both of them entering that club together.

 

[Rschmitz]

Did anyone use the argument of Mackinnon being a volume shooter yet? Hogging the puck and shooting so much that he's bound to score a lot?
He's on pace to having the 4th most shots in a season in the last 2 decades. (With Ovie holding the top 3 in 06, 08 and 09)

And he would be 5th all time in the last 50 years, as Kariya had 429 shots in 98.

He also leads the league in pp opportunities and the Avs have faced the softest schedule of anyone. If that doesn’t matter, shots definitely won’t

 

[DFC]

I say this with all due respect to Kucherov and preface it by saying that injuries are part of the game and he flat out deserves the Ross. I’ve been vocal about that repeatedly and mean it. He’s been incredible.
With that said I think it is fair to say that if McDavid were 100% healthy this year he would win the Ross relatively comfortably even with two 140 point scorers. 16 points in his first 16 games and turns around and puts up 114 in his next 58 games. Not only is that a 160+ point pace it was the best statistical stretch of his career and he did it while not looking 100% with his shot or stickhandling due to his first injury.

Kucherov and MacKinnon were close enough in that span as well to make it a race if that were the season but McDavid has also put up over 160 in 82 consecutive games before. Nobody else from this era has come close. There is no reason to doubt his capabilities there and it isn’t mere hypotheticals. With that said Kucherov deserves it and deserves the full shine in his premiere season.

If I'm not mistaken, Kucherov started the year with 11 points in his first 10 games. So that's 130 in the 68 he's played since, which is similar (My numbers might be off, but I believe I'm in the ballpark). Not saying you're wrong, by any stretch. Just saying, for whatever reason, Kucherov didn't come out of the gate all that great either, and has had a similarly insane stretch of scoring.

 

[WalterLundy]

If I'm not mistaken, Kucherov started the year with 11 points in his first 10 games. So that's 130 in the 68 he's played since, which is similar (My numbers might be off, but I believe I'm in the ballpark). Not saying you're wrong, by any stretch. Just saying, for whatever reason, Kucherov didn't come out of the gate all that great either, and has had a similarly insane stretch of scoring.

Yeah the reason I selected November 24th to March 30th is because that’s when McDavid looked pretty much like himself again up to the day he took a brief lead in the Ross race. In that particular span it is McDavid 2.02, MacKinnon 1.86 and Kucherov 1.83. 4th place in the span is Panarin at 1.42 which is insanely dominant for all three. Your numbers are right for the 130 in 68 for Kucherov as well.

Like I said I tried to put it all in a way that didn’t diminish what Kucherov is doing or has done just that McDavid is the only current guy who has shown a 160s level for over 82 consecutive games prior (and then in that stretch that gave him a brief lead this year). Kucherov’s year is far more elite than people want to admit. His closest statistical comparisons since 1980 in 2024 season levels are 1991 Wayne Gretzky (143 points/38 goals/105 assists in 78 games 1.83 ppg) and 1999 Jaromir Jagr (146 points/52 goals/94 assists 1.80 ppg). You have a year like that and you deserve the Art Ross.

 

[Beukeboom]

I don't like this "McDavid was injured" narrative. For all we know he missed two games. Why did Kucherov miss one btw? Injury as well?

McDavid was beaten fair and square this season. There is no slack for "maybe" having had an injury. In fact all players play through injuries, and if you're compared to Mario as some here do, missing anything less than 10 games shouldn't matter.

To be fair the losing to Kuch (or Mackinnon) x2 and Draisaitl once in his prime, is probably what will keep McDavid away from Mario territory no matter what he does the rest of his career. (assuming he'll win a SC).

 

[DFC]

Yeah the reason I selected November 24th to March 30th is because that’s when McDavid looked pretty much like himself again up to the day he took a brief lead in the Ross race. In that particular span it is McDavid 2.02, MacKinnon 1.86 and Kucherov 1.83. 4th place in the span is Panarin at 1.42 which is insanely dominant for all three. Your numbers are right for the 130 in 68 for Kucherov as well.

Like I said I tried to put it all in a way that didn’t diminish what Kucherov is doing or has done just that McDavid is the only current guy who has shown a 160s level for over 82 consecutive games prior (and then in that stretch that gave him a brief lead this year). Kucherov’s year is far more elite than people want to admit. His closest statistical comparisons since 1980 in 2024 season levels are 1991 Wayne Gretzky (143 points/38 goals/105 assists in 78 games 1.83 ppg) and 1999 Jaromir Jagr (146 points/52 goals/94 assists 1.80 ppg). You have a year like that and you deserve the Art Ross.

For sure. Again, was in no way saying you were wrong. Just wanted to point out that Kucherov has a similar number over a slightly different span.

Honestly I think we should appreciate what we are seeing, and a lot of us are. It seems like, even when you adjust the numbers, we are seeing multiple rare, special things happening in the same season. This must be among the most enjoyable regular seasons in history, at least from the standpoint of major individual achievements.

 

[Coffey]

He also leads the league in pp opportunities and the Avs have faced the softest schedule of anyone. If that doesn’t matter, shots definitely won’t

Power Play Merchant, interesting.

I see, I see.

 

[Matsun]

If I'm not mistaken, Kucherov started the year with 11 points in his first 10 games. So that's 130 in the 68 he's played since, which is similar (My numbers might be off, but I believe I'm in the ballpark). Not saying you're wrong, by any stretch. Just saying, for whatever reason, Kucherov didn't come out of the gate all that great either, and has had a similarly insane stretch of scoring.

Kucherov started his 18-19 campaign with 18 points in 18 games until November 13 and was playing at a 141 point pace for the last 64 games of the season. He also started his ''bad'' 19-20 season with 13 in 15 games until November 13 before being 3rd in scoring the rest of the way before covid ended the season. He is a player that seems to take about a month to heat up.

 

[DFC]

I don't like this "McDavid was injured" narrative. For all we know he missed two games. Why did Kucherov miss one btw? Injury as well?

McDavid was beaten fair and square this season. There is no slack for "maybe" having had an injury. In fact all players play through injuries, and if you're compared to Mario as some here do, missing anything less than 10 games shouldn't matter.

To be fair the losing to Kuch (or Mackinnon) x2 and Draisaitl once in his prime, is probably what will keep McDavid away from Mario territory no matter what he does the rest of his career. (assuming he'll win a SC).

I seriously don't want to take anything away from McDavid. I think I view him in a higher regard than most posters (I think he's Gretzky/Lemieux tier). And I really do hope he gets 100 assists this year, because, as a Kucherov fan, it would be cool to see Kucherov share that accomplishement with someone of McDavid's caliber.

One thing about Kucherov, to your point, is we will likely never know if/when/or how badly he was injured. He plays a style that depends so little on his physical skills that it's just hard to tell when he's dealing with something. Especially from a statistical standpoint, because he scores either way.

For instance, you'll hear a bazillion people talking about how he could have come back way before the playoffs after his hip surgery, and then he kind of rubbed in the salt by scoring, I believe, 4 points in his return. But any TB fan will tell you, because we watch him every night: He wasn't close to 100%. You could see it in the way he moved.

Kucherov's scoring is based mainly on decision making. He does a lot of it from a dead stop.

 

[kugelbahn]

3 decades after Fedorov's Hart win and we're still gonna claim nonsense like this?

Fedorov won his Hart in 94, this is 2024, Russia was emerging young democracy friend back back than, "evil empire" now (again)

Things from purely hockey stand point being close, this bias could flip voting outcome.
"He'll get almost every 1st place vote this year" is obvious exaggeration

 

[Sky04]

I say this with all due respect to Kucherov and preface it by saying that injuries are part of the game and he flat out deserves the Ross. I’ve been vocal about that repeatedly and mean it. He’s been incredible.
With that said I think it is fair to say that if McDavid were 100% healthy this year he would win the Ross relatively comfortably even with two 140 point scorers. 16 points in his first 16 games and turns around and puts up 114 in his next 58 games to take the lead briefly. Not only is that a 160+ point pace it was the best statistical stretch of his career and he did it while not looking 100% with his shot or stickhandling due to his first injury.

Kucherov and MacKinnon were close enough in that span as well to make it a race if that were the season but McDavid has also put up over 160 in 82 consecutive games before. Nobody else from this era has come close. There is no reason to doubt his capabilities there and it isn’t mere hypotheticals. With that said Kucherov deserves it and deserves the full shine in his premiere season.

"Injured" lol it's called a cold streak, EVERY player in the league is playing through something at one point or another, to think it only effects McDavid is just stupid. Hypotheticals are dumb, how do you know he plays the rest of the season like he did if he didn't start out that way? Or he doesn't pick up an injury down the line instead? He played those games and results are what they are, if Brayden Point wasn't playing injured and didn't miss 15-20 grade A chances early in the season Kucherov is above 160 points right now, see how what-ifs work?

 

[WalterLundy]

"Injured" lol it's called a cold streak, EVERY player in the league is playing through something at one point or another, to think it only effects McDavid is just stupid. Hypotheticals are dumb, how do you know he plays the rest of the season like he did if he didn't start out that way? Or he doesn't pick up an injury down the line instead? He played those games and results are what they are, if Brayden Point wasn't playing injured and didn't miss 15-20 grade A chances early in the season Kucherov is above 160 points right now, see how what-ifs work?

McDavid started with 8 in 5 and got injured missing two games. He returned and put up 8 points in 11 games. It was clear to everyone who watches Oilers games regularly that he was not even close to himself and it was by far the worst 11 game stretch of his career. We can act like he wasn’t playing injured this year but he was. To call it a cold streak just means that you may not have been aware of what actually happened.

The way I can predict he plays at a near two point per game level this year without the injury ever happening is because in his previous 115 games (22 and 23 playoffs included) prior to the start of the 23-24 season he had 219 points in those 115 (1.90). That’s a very large sample size of maintaining near two points per game so betting on that 1.90 going up to 1.95 for a 160 season isn’t exactly a stretch for a player that is only behind Gretzky/Orr/Lemieux for peak in his own peak years.

And I absolutely know hypotheticals/what ifs are dumb. Nobody hears more what ifs circulating than a penguins fan. It’s how people make absurd goat cases for Orr and Lemieux. I gave props to Kucherov prior to my response to the original post anyway as he deserves it and what happens in hockey happens. What ifs don’t count.

 

[TheGuiminator]

Looks like Conor McDavid will miss the rest of regular season. So Kucherov will be the only one to score 100 assists this season

Ughh, what an anticlimatic way to finish a season. Shades of Mario Lemieux when he finished with 199 pts

 

[AgeIess]

Thank god McDavid isn't getting another Ross this year. I hope he never gets another ever again!

 

[Signupnow]

Let's be honest here. MacKinnon brings more to the game besides offense than Kucherov.

Kucherov brings more cups to the table to drink out of.

 

[crowfish]

Thank god McDavid isn't getting another Ross this year. I hope he never gets another ever again!

He's got a better chance of ending his career with 10 Art Rosses than he does with 5. Keep on hoping