How bad has this series affected Kucherov's image after a historic Art Ross win?

[Czech Your Math]

Just going to throw this out there:

Kucherov's last 3 playoff series:
1) 1G/1A - 2P in 3 games (Columbus)
2) 1G/4A - 5P in 7 games (Washington)
3) 1G/1A - 2P in 5 games (Boston)

Total = 9 points in 15 games

He's minus 10 in those 15 games as well.

15-2-7-9 (-10) is not good... but then Crosby was 19-3-8-11 (-4) the last 3 rounds of '16 playoffs.

 

[PensandCaps]

I would say he's been mediocre in the playoffs for 3 years now. 3 goals total in his last 15 playoff games (a 16 goal pace).

3 series* not playoffs.

16 and 18 he was PPG. Those are good playoff runs.

And in 2015 he as a rookie basically put up 22 points to a cup final.

 

[MrGeno101]

What did hurt more for Oilers fans, missing the playoffs or Mcdavid not winning art ross?

As for Kucherov some will talk him down but he still was the best player this year.

 

[Soundwave]

3 series* not playoffs.

16 and 18 he was PPG. Those are good playoff runs.

And in 2015 he as a rookie basically put up 22 points to a cup final.

Which makes the last three playoff rounds all the more head scratching. You should not be choking in your mid 20s like this in the playoffs like this especially when you have experience already.

 

[Alex K]

 

[1OApick]

Doesn't change anything. Kuch still top-3 player on the league.

 

[Arselona]

I'm afraid we are to consider Brad Marchand the best player in the world now.

 

[pld459666]

Kucherov is still Kucherov.

The whole team shit the bed

 

[bobbyking]

It's a 4 game sample............

 

[Corto]

Not even in the convo for best player

It's still Mcdavid with Crosby 2nd. Mackinnon has made a great case to be considered #3.

Wait, you're discrediting Kucherov because of the playoffs?
But not McDavid - who didn't even make the playoffs - nor Crosby, who also got swept (with less points btw)?

Makes sense.

 

[Atas2000]

Still can't believe some people think this guy is in the same conversation as McDavid. Complete gutless effort in these 4 games. Just a non-factor perimeter player whose resorted to predatory headshots and dives instead of getting in to the guts of the game.

LOL How about McDavid makes the playoffs first to show us what brilliant performances he is capable of off the golf course?

 

[Albatros]

McDavid is one of the worst captains in the league, which is one of the biggest taboos in the league.

Kucherov was as bad as his whole team, doesn't change his and their regular season achievements one bit but certainly also does not elevate that one bit.

 

[Cmac66]

Considering he played 3 games, contributed in the 4th game it hasn’t effected him that much. More of a wake up call than anything.

 

[raymond23]

Still one of the best players in the game who had probably the best regular season in a decade. Can't take that away from him based on one poor series. Dude is a freak.

 

[Devilsfan118]

Some players are more suited to the regular season. Stamkos seems like one of those guys, maybe Kucherov is too.

That's not necessarily intended to be a slight - some guys just don't adapt well to "playoff style" hockey.

So, I think you can't deny that the aforementioned guys are exceptional, top-tier regular season players. I also can't help but think you've got to acknowledge that they might be guys that you cannot count on in the playoffs.

 

[heynowbababooey]

No one is going to care anymore.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Some players are more suited to the regular season. Stamkos seems like one of those guys, maybe Kucherov is too.

That's not necessarily intended to be a slight - some guys just don't adapt well to "playoff style" hockey.

So, I think you can't deny that the aforementioned guys are exceptional, top-tier regular season players. I also can't help but think you've got to acknowledge that they might be guys that you cannot count on in the playoffs.

Bro, so many times this.

The playoffs are an enigma, because we all know they're different but we don't necessarily know how. Ya players play harder, but it definitely seems to affect some guys more than others. Kuch I somewhat get- highly skilled guy, so if you can just pressure him a bit more you take away a lot of his game. Then again, Crosby usually does alright. Just a small sample size this year? Stamkos is a bit more confusing to me- big shot, all he has to do is get open, so like I said- enigma. Ovechkin does well, badly, well again. Friggin Duchene looks good these playoffs. Stone's playoff stats weren't great, but he looks amazing so far. His season ends tomorrow and he's clutch- but his team will likely advance, so we'll see how the narrative develops.

Whatever, it doesn't change my opinion of Kuch much. Amazing season, crazy fun player to watch for 82 games.. but then playoffs come and I become more interested in the team narratives. TB sucking magnified Kuch's sucking and vice versa. Give 'em more games and he'd likely even it out, but they don't get more games largely thanks to his sucking. It's kind of a chicken and egg thing, and ultimately there are so many variables at play that I can't say this changes my view of Kuch in any way.

 

[MapleLeafs94]

Lots of salty Oiler fans getting their licks in on Kucherov cause he beat out McDavid for the Art Ross. Nothing changes from a 3 game sample, still one of the top players in the NHL and I still think he deserves the Hart.

 

[NatusVincere]

What about captain Steven Stamkos and Vezina favorite Andrei Vasilevski?

And what about "still the best and Playoff King Crosby with his 1 Assist Sweep" or "Generational McDavid aka outscored by Draisaitl and Letestu"...

 

[Alex Jones]

I mean, four games is an EXTREMELY small sample size. He has played well, really well in the playoffs before. I do think that this will hurt him if he never wins a cup, but next year if the Lightning tear up the league and he has a great playoffs nobody will remember.

 

[North Cole]

McDavid is one of the worst captains in the league, which is one of the biggest taboos in the league.

Kucherov was as bad as his whole team, doesn't change his and their regular season achievements one bit but certainly also does not elevate that one bit.

Kucherov was as bad as his team in the post season and as good as his team in the regular season. Sounds like a passenger

Stamkos is the worst captain in the league.

 

[Albatros]

He scored 30 points more than Stamkos in as many games, hardly a passenger.

 

[Sojourn]

Wait, you're discrediting Kucherov because of the playoffs?
But not McDavid - who didn't even make the playoffs - nor Crosby, who also got swept (with less points btw)?

Makes sense.

Judging Kucherov based on just these games is stupid, but your McDavid argument is worse. Kucherov put in a poor performance. He deserves some criticism for that. It’s not like he tore it up in the series and the the rest of the team wasn’t good enough. Tampa Bay wasn’t good, but Kucherov needed to be better too.

What is the criticism for McDavid? 116 points in 78 games? A single player isn’t going to get his team into the playoffs. You’re suggesting he deserves to be shit on because he tried to put the team on his back, and he put up a Hart level performance, but it wasn’t good enough because the team was crappy.

Those two things aren’t the same. McDavid as fantastic, and the team was bad. Kucherov was disappointing, and the team was bad. See the difference?

 

[North Cole]

He scored 30 points more than Stamkos in as many games, hardly a passenger.

But there were so many complaints that the lightning players were not individually respected. They weren't playing better than the sum of their parts, the team was great because they were all great and not the other way around. While I think Kucherov was not a passenger, the excuses people are using about how the team failed is pretty low hanging fruit when you look at those comments from the RS....there's even some of these same people ITT making fun of McDavid for not making the playoffs but ignoring he plays with an AHL roster.

Kucherov can't be the guy driving the bus all year and then have the excuse of the "the team shit the bed" at the end. Especially when he got himself suspended. If people want to play that card, then they have to give McDavid a pass for not making the playoffs. Can't have it both ways.

Just happens that the Kucherov bus drove into Gettysburg...He still had an incredible year

 

[Coffey]

What is the criticism for McDavid? 116 points in 78 games? A single player isn’t going to get his team into the playoffs.

You'd be surprised if you saw what some Tampa fans wrote before this series.
McDavid sucks because he can't get his team into his playoffs.

Tampa gets swept

It's not Kucherov's fault, the entire team sucks.

The cognitive dissonance is absurd.