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Player Discussion: Nikita Kucherov - Part 3

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Joining good company of those to hit 70 assists multiple times

Wayne Gretzky x 15
Mario Lemieux x 8
Bobby Orr x 6
Paul Coffey x 6
Peter Stastny x 5
Brian Trottier x 5
Marcel Dionne x 5
Adam Oates x 4
Mark Messier x 4
Guy Lafleur x 4
Phil Esposito x 4
Dale Hawerchuk x 4
Henrik Sedin x 3
Brian Leetch x 3
Ray Bourque x 3
Denis Savard x 3
Peter Mahovlich x 2
Steve Yzerman x 2
Mark Recchi x 2
Joe Thornton x 2
Doug Gilmour x 2
Bernie Nicholls x 2
Jaromir Jagr x 2
Bernie Federko x 2
Bobby Clarke x 2
Ron Francis x 2
Peter Forsberg x 2
 
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DFC said:
Given how little Kuch depends on top end speed, does anyone else feel like he will age better than most players? I can see him staying at this level for at least a few more years, and I think the decline will be pretty slow.
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His hockey iq and passing will keep him in the league for a looooong time.
 
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DFC said:
Given how little Kuch depends on top end speed, does anyone else feel like he will age better than most players? I can see him staying at this level for at least a few more years, and I think the decline will be pretty slow.
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He also entered the league a little older so should last an extra year or two because of that.
 
Sky04 said:
He came into the league at 20, which is pretty normal.
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Yeah, and I wonder if that has any bearing on longevity. I've never seen any research on that. Besides, Kuch has been in more playoff games at 29 than the majority of players have in their career. So I'm not sure that will factor in. But I do think his style of play and the fact that he relies so much on processing the game at a higher speed than anybody on the ice will help him. Mario and Datsyuk were guys that never really relied on speed, even though they both had it for a while, as does Kucherov. But I think guys like that have a better chance to extend their primes into their mid-thirties.
 
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DFC said:
Yeah, and I wonder if that has any bearing on longevity. I've never seen any research on that. Besides, Kuch has been in more playoff games at 29 than the majority of players have in their career. So I'm not sure that will factor in. But I do think his style of play and the fact that he relies so much on processing the game at a higher speed than anybody on the ice will help him. Mario and Datsyuk were guys that never really relied on speed, even though they both had it for a while, as does Kucherov. But I think guys like that have a better chance to extend their primes into their mid-thirties.
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Nick Backstrom, the Sedins, Joe Thornton, Patrick Kane all produced well/elite into their mid 30's. Kuch will be fine, the least of our worries.
 
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Outl4w said:
Generational Talents and top picks usually enter at 18. He got a few seasons to hit the weights and train in the minors because taking a bruising from NHLers
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He was neither, he entered the league when the majority of players do. There are like less than 5 players who play in the league at 18 on a given year, I wouldn't say he has any more longevity than any other average player
 
Sky04 said:
He was neither, he entered the league when the majority of players do. There are like less than 5 players who play in the league at 18 on a given year, I wouldn't say he has any more longevity than any other average player
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Yes i know we got lucky for him to drop to the second round because of the Russian Factor,
 
Outl4w said:
Yes i know we got lucky for him to drop to the second round because of the Russian Factor,
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He developed over time too. Didnt really hit elite status for a few years. But I dont know that those extra years outside of the league will help his longevity. I think his style of play will though, and how constantly he seems to be trying to improve. Even when the skills start to deteriorate, he's always gonna be two steps ahead in his mind.
 
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DFC said:
He developed over time too. Didnt really hit elite status for a few years. But I dont know that those extra years outside of the league will help his longevity. I think his style of play will though, and how constantly he seems to be trying to improve. Even when the skills start to deteriorate, he's always gonna be two steps ahead in his mind.
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He learned the Jeidi mind games from Yzerman.
 
TheDaysOf 04 said:


100 points in 71 games

Took Kuch 62 games to reach 100 in his 2019 mvp season
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He was on a 120 point pace in the 2021-2022 season, and missed the entire 2020-2021 season; he was on a 95 point pace in 2019-2020; and he missed the entire 2020-2021 season. Already having 3, 100-point campaigns is incredibly impressive. But I am here imagining what could have been....
 
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It’s just insane what he does with the puck on a nightly basis. Such precision and quickness. Such a unique style. He doesn’t rely on skating or muscling his way through, his vision and creativity paired with his hands is just through the roof. What a treat to be able to watch him do his thang for the team we love.
 
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LightningStrikes said:
It’s just insane what he does with the puck on a nightly basis. Such precision and quickness. Such a unique style. He doesn’t rely on skating or muscling his way through, his vision and creativity paired with his hands is just through the roof. What a treat to be able to watch him do his thang for the team we love.
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Quick decisions too. Generally has an idea of what he wants to do as soon as the puck hits his stick. A lot of what makes him so dangerous is he is probably the least predictable player in the league. He makes a lot of plays that look like common sense, and yet nobody else thinks to make them.
 
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