The NHL has more talent right now than we’ve seen in a long time. The consensus top two players—Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon—their running mates Leon Draisaitl and Cale Makar, and now budding young stars Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard. Those guys are all tremendous—some of the best in the world. But every time I watch the Tampa Bay Lightning, I can’t help but think: Is anyone better than Nikita Kucherov?
He isn’t as physically dominant nor does he have the sheer speed that terrifies defensemen like McDavid or MacKinnon, but there truly isn’t a more skilled hockey player in the world right now than Kucherov—and the way he picks apart his opponents should also be just as frightening.
Every single shift the superstar winger is on the ice, he’s generating offense. Literally—not a shift goes by where he doesn’t set up a teammate or create a Grade-A chance of his own. No matter who he’s playing with, Kucherov turns them into an offensive threat all by himself.
Kucherov has it all: hands, vision, creativity, elite hockey IQ, and a sneaky—but lethal—shot, a skill set that’s nearly impossible to contain over an entire game. He may not be Alex Ovechkin in his office, but when he tees up a one-timer on his offside, he rarely misses. This goal against Toronto on Wednesday perfectly demonstrates it: while it was a great pass from Gage Goncalves, the puck was on edge, Kucherov was on an angle—and yet he still buried it, no problem.
What makes Kucherov especially fun to watch is how effortlessly he does it—often appearing as if he’s not even trying, only to thread a no-look saucer pass through three sticks for a tap-in or wiring a one-timer past the goalie’s ear.
Wednesday’s game against the Maple Leafs marked the extension of a 10-game point streak, and after a somewhat slow start to the season, Kucherov has catapulted himself into the Art Ross Trophy race with 94 points (30 goals, 64 assists) in just 52 games. That’s four behind McDavid and now one ahead of MacKinnon—both of whom played a ton of extra hockey at the Olympics—making Kucherov perhaps the best bet to take home the award.
That would be his fourth Art Ross and very likely his fifth 100-point season. Every hockey fan knows he’s spectacular, yet somehow Kucherov still manages to fly under the radar. Just look at the numbers: he leads the NHL in 2025–26 with six four-point games. Only two other players—McDavid (5) and MacKinnon (5)—have more than three.
His performance in the Stadium Series against Boston just before the Olympic break was a perfect example. A run-of-the-mill four-point night (one goal, three assists) that could easily have been six or seven if a few more bounces had gone his way.
Any player can be neutralized on a given night, but if I had to pick one I could count on to consistently produce points, it would be Nikita Kucherov. There’s just no way to keep him quiet for a full 60 minutes—and the few times he is contained, it’s usually because his teammates missed chances or the goalie stood on his head.
He doesn’t do much media, and he plays for a Lightning team that isn’t in the spotlight. As a result, he often takes a backseat in debates and rankings behind McDavid, MacKinnon, and, for some, even Draisaitl and Makar. But I’m here to tell you: he’s the third-best player in the world at worst right now. I’d even argue McDavid and MacKinnon are 1A and 1B, with Kucherov as 1C. Pick your poison—you can’t go wrong with any of them, and to this day, Kucherov has proven —and continues to prove—that he’s the player you can win with.
The Sports Outsider 
Leave a comment