Gotta love the fact that these threads are always timed after a massive multi-point game. First the Hughes one after his 5-point game, now this one after Kucherov's 6-point game.
Wanna bet there will be a thread like this for someone else as well after they have a 5-point game and move to the front temporarily, etc.
1. In a world where McDavid has won 5 of the past 7 Art Rosses, Kucherov is one of the safest and most reasonable alternative picks to win an Art Ross out there, seeing as how he won one of those remaining two and has a proven track record of being a high finisher.
2. It’s excitement. Seeing Kucherov (or anyone really) pile up half a dozen points in a game is fun. When the situation is appropriate, like right now, it’s also a nice way to consider what he’s doing, because it vaulted someone already high up in the scoring race into first.
3. In the case of someone like Hughes, people are having fun there too, seeing a defenseman lead the league in scoring at just about the one quarter point in the season for the first time since…? We were fascinated to see Karlsson score at a high pace last season and now we’re seeing Hughes (and Makar) making us think over 100 points is achievable again. Plus, it’s fun to follow the Canucks scoring goals in bunches and witness their continued turnaround.
4. It’s a season in progress. We’re watching events unfold. While McDavid is hopefully beginning to get going, I don’t see a problem highlighting either Hughes, Kucherov, or even Jack Hughes along the way. Jack Hughes had one of the best starts in recent memory. Quinn is on a 10 game point streak and has 24 points in his last 13 games as a defenseman. Kucherov has 24 in his last 10 and is no stranger to scoring in droves. We’re going to talk about these things.
5. I kind of remember this attitude when Kucherov was actively winning the trophy in 2018-2019, so I guess it’s just a no-win for him either way.
TLDR: “Because it’s so much fun, Jan.”
