Player Discussion: Nikita Kucherov

[Stormbreaker]

 

[Stormbreaker]

 

[Bolt32]

I think I figured out What is Nikita Kucherov's deal is.....He is a Demigod.

 

[Rschmitz]

His chances of getting to 20 in 20, 30 in 30, etc. rest entirely on the other teams desire to shut down him or his linemates. Namestnikov and Stamkos both on pace to score around 40 goals now, meanwhile his primary assist totals have been spiking. Namestnikov with 7 shots last night, that is awesome. He isn't forcing pucks to the big named guys, he's doing exactly what he needs to do to get teams to swap off of his linemates. Hedman getting warmed up too, 5 points in 4 games with reduced ice time. All good news for Kucherov.

 

[Sky04]

“Kuch is a guy who reminds me the most of having that natural chemistry like I did with Marty,” Stamkos said to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski on Wednesday. “It was funny: I was the young kid, and Marty was the veteran guy, and we pushed each other. Marty taught me so much with his experience in the league, and I was able to push him with my youthfulness, you could say.

“When I played with Marty, for as long as I was, he was the guy that told me to get him the puck and get open,” Stamkos told the Tampa Bay Times recently. “I didn’t necessarily have to be put in an area to try to make plays. I was trying to get open and shoot the puck every time I could. But, now, I’ll try to get Kuch the shots right now because he’s the best in the league at it at this moment. So why wouldn’t you want to get him the puck?”

Part of what makes Kucherov special is how deceptive he is on the ice, somehow finding ways to get "lost." He does it with his sneaky change of speeds in skating and with his elite hockey sense. Stamkos,
in a sense, speaks the same language.

"It's almost being unpredictably predictable," Stamkos said. "I don't even know if that makes sense. It makes sense for me and Kuch, so that's all that matters. It's just knowing what he's going to do but the other team not knowing what he's going to do. That makes more sense."

Good stuff

 

[Sky04]

Man we all knew Kuch did his homework but still, amazing commitment from this guy:

Kucherov's first year in the NHL, 2013-14, was St. Louis' last with the Lightning.

But Kucherov made sure to pick up everything he could from the 2003-04 league MVP, even little things, such as how St. Louis taped his stick and his pre- and post-practice routines. Kucherov thought it was cool that he did some of the same stuff. The Russian also watched how Stamkos and St. Louis played together, reviewing old highlights.

"I always looked up to them and see how they supported each other, how they talked, how they moved the puck, where Marty was getting open," Kucherov, 24, said
Kucherov wasn't shy in asking St. Louis questions.

"I always thought that kid could feel the game, he was going to do great things," St. Louis said. "I remember many days after practice with him, shooting pucks. He had broken English, but he really liked talking hockey, and he was fun to be around."

The young sniper said he paid close attention to Stamkos’ tendencies during that impressive stretch alongside St. Louis. They watch video and often stay after practice to work on their shots and potential plays. Kucherov, who started his five- or six-days-a-week summer workouts in early July, has a drive that has rubbed off on Stamkos.

"I was pushing Marty, and Kuch is truly pushing me," Stamkos said. "To see him work as hard as he does at his game, I want to be right there with him.

Definitely feel like he's taken that part of Marty that worked so well with Stamkos and added his own touch to it. Rare you see a player put this much work into his game, not just physically.

 

[geoo9]

Give him Ovechkin's one timer and he would be around 20 goals at this point.

he wouldnt use ovies wrister. Kuch uses screens, deceive by body work, head movement when shooting. Ovie - just shoots - Kuch wouldnt use that. Kuchs style, based on IQ, would allow him play untill 40+ at NHL level. Best cheater at league.

 

[Sky04]

Using screens is Ovechkins signature..

 

[geoo9]

Using screens is Ovechkins signature..

i think Ovies signature is number of his shots and his strenght -which allows him shoot that number. Kuch use not only screen but even his own head movement to fake goalie. He have too many deceive tools

 

[The Macho King]

Comparing him to Ovi is ... I mean, not apt. You're either comparing him to prime Ovi - who was a force and looked like Lemieux at times, or you're comparing him to modern Ovi, who is basically a shooting turret and not much else. Kucherov doesn't really have much in common with either.

If anyone - he's Semin with a quicker release.

 

[DFC]

Prime Ovi was like a rocket powered bulldozer. He dominated physically.

Kuch is more about IQ and precision. To me he's always looked like an elite version of Slava Kozlov. I know that's kind of obscure, but it's the only guy I've seen who played a really similar style. If Kozlov had an elite skillset, instead of just a very good skillset, he probably would have looked very, very similar to Kucherov.

 

[geoo9]

Comparing him to Ovi is ... I mean, not apt. You're either comparing him to prime Ovi - who was a force and looked like Lemieux at times, or you're comparing him to modern Ovi, who is basically a shooting turret and not much else. Kucherov doesn't really have much in common with either.

If anyone - he's Semin with a quicker release.

If about similarities- mogilniy at his prime looks similar - body, skating and shooting style.

 

[Rschmitz]

A little mix of Bure in there too

 

[xteesy]

Can't really say I see the Kuch / Ovi comparison.

Ovi is a turret, and when he was younger he was essentially a very, very strong moving turret. He'll throw pucks at the net for days and never get tired. I can't remember the exact numbers, but Stamkos (in the same # of games) has an infinitely higher scoring % than Ovi. He just happens to shoot the puck a lot less often because he values the shots he takes more.

I'd compare Kuch to someone similar to Lemieux, but with the hands of a guy like Datsyuk. I can't remember where I saw it but I'm almost positive Datsyuk even said he sees a lot of himself in Kucherov and "he knew" the kid would be special in the next few years.

 

[Spacey]

I can't remember where I saw it but I'm almost positive Datsyuk even said he sees a lot of himself in Kucherov and "he knew" the kid would be special in the next few years.

Like that comparison. I think guys like Datsyuk and Kucherov revealed by the age of 28-32.
Elite players like Dats can be sniper - if team need sniper (Datsyuk when playing for Russia team), or can be two-way and passing machine(in Detroit).
Sry, bad English.

 

[DFC]

Like that comparison. I think guys like Datsyuk and Kucherov revealed by the age of 28-32.
Elite players like Dats can be sniper - if team need sniper (Datsyuk when playing for Russia team), or can be two-way and passing machine(in Detroit).
Sry, bad English.

I don't think it really works. Datsyuk was a lot smoother than Kucherov. Kuch is smooth, but Dats was otherworldly. And Datsyuk had an underrated shot, but Kuch's shot is on a whole other realm. And just the way they played wasn't all that similar. I mean, some things are definitely similar, like the way they change speeds, but it's kind of rare that I'm watching Kucherov and thought "That looked like Datsyuk." Most of the time, it's when Kuch sneaks up on somebody on the backcheck that they look similar.

 

[Sky04]

I don't think it really works. Datsyuk was a lot smoother than Kucherov. Kuch is smooth, but Dats was otherworldly. And Datsyuk had an underrated shot, but Kuch's shot is on a whole other realm. And just the way they played wasn't all that similar. I mean, some things are definitely similar, like the way they change speeds, but it's kind of rare that I'm watching Kucherov and thought "That looked like Datsyuk." Most of the time, it's when Kuch sneaks up on somebody on the backcheck that they look similar.

I don't see Dats either, Kuch pulls some nice moves but he also fails hard at times, he also gets by players more through shifting in his skating and it gets defenders going the wrong way, Datsyuk was all hands.

Hard to find a comparison for him, he's a unique player - Mogilny looked a lot like Kucherov on the ice, the skated the same way but their shots were very different.

 

[DFC]

I don't see Dats either, Kuch pulls some nice moves but he also fails hard at times, he also gets by players more through shifting in his skating and it gets defenders going the wrong way, Datsyuk was all hands.

Hard to find a comparison for him, he's a unique player - Mogilny looked a lot like Kucherov on the ice, the skated the same way but their shots were very different.

Very hard. There just aren't a whole lot of players who play an IQ-based finesse game with a more "quickness" based speed than "power" based speed (Fedorov, for instance), but then also have a deadly arsenal of shots.

The dynamics of Kucherov's game are interesting. He can almost lull you to sleep before changing gears. Unique skillset. I think he might be more similar to a guy like Paul Kariya than any of the Russians we've been mentioning.

 

[The Macho King]

I don't see Dats either, Kuch pulls some nice moves but he also fails hard at times, he also gets by players more through shifting in his skating and it gets defenders going the wrong way, Datsyuk was all hands.

Hard to find a comparison for him, he's a unique player - Mogilny looked a lot like Kucherov on the ice, the skated the same way but their shots were very different.

As bland as it is, I do think the best comparable is Kane.

 

[MattM92]

Kucherov is Kucherov. He doesn't have to be like anyone else.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Kucherov is Kucherov. He doesn't have to be like anyone else.

Right on! If anything I like the Mogilny comparisons.

 

[The Macho King]

 

[Leonardo87]

Not sure if this was posted or not..



Congrats Kuch!

 

[These Are The Days]

This guy's a stud

 

[DFC]

Going back to the 90s, I've watched a lot of great players on a nightly basis. Kucherov is the latest guy I feel lucky to watch. I think it feels extra special when you understand the guy's dedication and work ethic.