Nikita Kucherov may not be an NHL marketing gem like the Connors McDavid and Bedard, however, the Tampa Bay Lightning star certainly has one thing going for him:
He’s Nikita Kucherov.
With the departure of Steven Stamkos to Nashville this past off-season, questions lingered regarding how the Tampa Bay Lightning would move on without their long-time star captain. Based on his performance so far in 2024-25, Kucherov has not been phased at all.
The Bolts forward started off the season with a hat trick in the first game of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes. His hot streak continued as he scored seven goals in the first four games. Kucherov has earned points in all but three games the Lightning have played this young season.
Despite the team’s loss in a wild game against Columbus on Thursday night, Kucherov earned another notch on his already impressive resume: his 900th career point.
Kucherov no stranger to success
Kucherov may not be a fan-favorite in other NHL cities. However, his talent and skill are recognized as a force in the league. The 11-year veteran is coming off one of his best seasons yet. The two-time Art Ross Trophy winner dethroned three-time points champion McDavid with 144 in 2023-24.
Kucherov is fifth on the leaderboard with 29 points so far this season. More impressive is his continued presence on the ice. His 18 assists have come in a variety of ways, from no-look passes to seemingly effortless feeds through traffic.
His nine goals and eight assists in the first ten games of the season earned him the team’s Bolts Best Player of the Month for October. Kucherov’s 10 power-play points ranks him in the league’s top ten.
Kucherov can beat you in a number of ways, from the hard slapshot to a finessed backhand. His creativity gets better with age. He will find the outlet pass in a no-outlet situation. He will look one way and pass another.
There is always a threat of a scoring opportunity when he touches the ice. He knows it, as does his teammates. His opponents fear it.
900 points and counting
Kucherov earned his 900th career point on the opening goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night. A nice feed to Brayden Point that has become common between the pair.
86 locks in career point 900 with this pass to Pointer ‼️ pic.twitter.com/drM5dhkTuR
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) November 22, 2024
Kucherov didn’t stop there. In addition to that assist, he would add two more assists to his evening for point numbers 901 and 902.
Kucherov reached the 900 point mark in 743 games, the 23rd fastest mark in NHL history. He is the fourth fastest non-North American player to reach the mark. The Russian is in good company, as he joins Peter Statsny (599 games), Jari Kurri (632), and Jaromir Jagr (681).
Therefore, the question now becomes if the Bolts left winger can make it to 1,000 career points this season.
Kucherov is on pace for his fifth 100-point season. Despite the Lightning having past stars such as Stamkos, Dave Andreychuk, Martin St. Louis, and Vinny Lecavalier leaving their marks as goal-scorers, Kucherov is the only Bolt to have multiple century-mark seasons.
If this pace continues, Lightning fans could see him reach the mark in April. There’s a good deal of games left to be played, however, and no one knows that better than Kucherov himself.
