Question #5: Will Nikita Kucherov top 100 points again and does he hit 50 goals?
RGW: Will he top 100 points again? Definitely. Will he accomplish it while burying 50 goals? Don’t bet on it. This isn’t to say Kucherov will take any sort of step back this season, nor is it a lack of confidence in him. I simply think Kucherov wasn’t given much attention until the latter part of the season, when he began to be recognized as an elite scorer and plotted against as one.
I think Kucherov will draw more and more attention from opponents this year, specifically on the power play. This won’t mean he will stop producing or that the power play will stop scoring. Kucherov may simply be more involved in the assist category, setting up Steven Stamkos and others while on the man-advantage. I would expect Kucherov to top out in the mid-40’s again, posting something along the lines of a 45-goal, 58-assist season.
TG: Absolutely, and I think he might push 60 goals.
BR: Not only is Nikita Kucherov in his prime, but I see no reason why he shouldn’t continue his ascent. He’s remained in the Tampa Bay area for training, he’s got long-term security with his new contract extension, and there’s motivation to get this team over the hump. While I think he finishes the season between 40-45 goals, I also think he takes home the Art Ross Trophy with over 100 points.
JW: While Lightning fans expect Kucherov to reach the century mark again, it’s rarely that easy. Kucherov should definitely be around or above the 90-point mark barring an injury. That being said, I believe he’s more likely to score 100 points than top 50 goals. I’d wager that Kucherov comes up just short of 100 points and closer to 40 goals than 50.
Question #6: Will we ever see Steven Stamkos hit the 40-goal mark again?
RGW: For years, 40 seemed like easy pickings for Stamkos. Sadly, I don’t believe he will ever reach the 40-goal plateau again. This is not a lack of belief in Stamkos. This is realism. He is a player who admitted in an interview this year that he will never feel 100% again. This is a guy who has been through a broken tibia, a blood clot, and most recently a torn meniscus. Not only is this not the same player who scored 60 in 2011-12, it’s not the same Lightning team on which he did so.
The dynamic in Tampa is much different nowadays. The team is much deeper, meaning Stamkos gets fewer looks on a power play that he once owned. He must share those looks with the likes of Point and Kucherov. In addition, the team is much more competitive, meaning they don’t have time to focus on Stamkos’s individual stats or giving him extra looks when he is closing in on milestones. Expect Stamkos to produce and possibly be a 30-goal scorer, and while 40 is possible, it’s not likely.
TG: Stamkos is transitioning to a role as Kucherov’s setup guy, and is coming off a season in which he set a career-high in assists. If both players keep up their pace from last year, it’s a possibility that Stamkos could hit 40 goals again, but it’s unlikely.
BR: I think he still has one more 40-goal season in him. Before the knee injury that caused him to miss most of 2016-17, he was on pace for 43 goals and 97 points. Last year, he notched his lowest goals-per-game rate (0.35) since his rookie year while also tallying the highest assists-per-game (0.76) of his career. He deferred a lot to Kucherov last year, sometimes to both his own detriment and the team’s. While he’ll turn 29 next February, he still remains one of the elite shooters in the league. If both he and Kucherov remember that it’s ok to shoot instead of making that extra pass, I think Stamkos can get back to the 40-goal mark.
JW: This seems less likely each passing year. Following multiple seasons cut short by injury, Stamkos finally returned to full health. Another year removed from those injuries could translate to a healthier Stamkos, and thus more goals. He is also getting older and that doesn’t help his odds. If Stamkos is to have another 40-goal year, it’s now or never and it’s looking more and more like it won’t happen again.
