Is Kucherov a clear-cut #2 in the NHL as we're speaking?

[NyQuil]

He’s in that second tier of guys below McDavid.

 

[RANDOMH3RO]

He’s probably going to pick up a conn smythe to add to an already stacked trophy count. Unless you have a bias against wingers in favour of centres, kuch should be argued as best winger in the league, and second best player overall.

 

[GOilers88]

My point is McDavid and Kucherov aren’t even competing in the same arena for the same things.

One guy is piling on points in the regular season at a historic rate and the other is pursuing championships and scoring at a historic rate (on a great team).

I happen to value the latter a lot more than regular season numbers. If I had a guy like McDavid on my team scoring at a historic rate in the regular season I’d wish he could take that ability and win a championship for my team one day. If my team had a guy like Kucherov winning a Stanley Cup, I’m already satisfied and don’t really care if he ever does McDavid things. I think even McDavid would feel the same way.

Main difference being one guy is on a ridiculously loaded and talented team that was the best in the league all season without him, and the other basically is the team.

Kuch deserves everything he gets cause he's a monster, but I think it's a safe assumption that McDavid would do just as well with a cast like that around him.

But as far as results go all around its hard not to argue for Kuch.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Clear cut? No.

Strong argument for it? Yes.

 

[geoo9]

Main difference being one guy is on a ridiculously loaded and talented team that was the best in the league all season without him, and the other basically is the team.
Kuch deserves everything he gets cause he's a monster, but I think it's a safe assumption that McDavid would do just as well with a cast like that around him.
.

If we talking about suppoting for scoring
Well McDavid had playing his line
Most point producing defender of this Year
Best CF Hart and Art ross recent winner Draisaitl

Kucherov have Sub point per game CF -Point
Hedman who scored Less than Barrie
And Palat Who only looked better than Pulujarvi as linemate for Kuch but also sub point per game guy

so these are actual lines and supporting cast when both played - is Kucherov linemates that much better? No

 

[GOilers88]

If we talking about suppoting for scoring
Well McDavid had playing his line
Most point producing defender of this Year
Best CF Hart and Art ross recent winner Draisaitl

Kucherov have Sub point per game CF -Point
Hedman who scored Less than Barrie
And Palat Who only looked better than Pulujarvi as linemate for Kuch but also sub point per game guy

so these are actual lines and supporting cast when both played - is Kucherov linemates that much better? No

It's not about his linemates. It's about the entire team.

Tampa is absolutely solid top to bottom and Edmonton is like Swiss cheese. I think it's disingenuous to say McDavid isn't sporting a ring and pushing for another because he's not as good in the playoffs, unless you think if they were to trade places Kuch would be having all the same success in Edmonton as he is in Tampa.

I'm not trying to knock Kucherov at all and I think he's right there with McDavid currently when looking at total production, I just think it's an unfair point to raise.

 

[geoo9]

It's not about his linemates. It's about the entire team.
Tampa is absolutely solid top to bottom and Edmonton is like Swiss cheese. I think it's disingenuous to say McDavid isn't sporting a ring and pushing for another because he's not as good in the playoffs, unless you think if they were to trade places Kuch would be having all the same success in Edmonton as he is in Tampa.
I'm not trying to knock Kucherov at all and I think he's right there with McDavid currently when looking at total production, I just think it's an unfair point to raise.

Edm have enough talient to be postseason team
Tampa without Kucherov is far from that "loaded with talient team" - just watch their regular season results there is no PPG player at entire team when Kuch injured while Draisaitl lonely scored amount of point almost = Point+Palat scored.

 

[T REX]

forget what if's what are they doing now?

 

[bert]

Clear cut? Absolutely not. Him and Draisaitl are looking pretty interchangeable for that claim, with MacKinnon and Matthews not too far behind. But really, you could make a case for any order with the 2-5 guys and it wouldn’t be that outlandish

Nope. Get it you're an Oilers fan but from a neutral perspective this is as blatantly a homer post as it gets.

 

[CashMash]

Kucherov is EASILY number two for me.

Number 1 is McDavid, obviously. Kucherov's resume in the playoffs is on par or better than other candidates AND he has a true top-tier season. I saw someone claim that the playoffs performances make him better than McDavid too, but it wasn't too long ago he was "just" PPG too. To counter the "He's already outscored McDavid for his career during this run alone" point, I would say consider the length of his run and compare that to McDavid's.

I'll also admit I have a bias towards centers, but Mack and Draisaitl still don't compare in my opinion, and they're who I'd consider next in line.
Matthews is an excellent goalscorer, but he has a similar problem as McDavid on a greater scale as his teams haven't made a dent in the post-season, though the Oil has at least won a round.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Absolutely.

1. McDavid
2. Kucherov



3. Someone else...

 

[Beige Van]

Anyone arguing Kuch over McDavid is nuts. Swap Point out for McDavid, and i truly believe Connor would be closing in on 50 points already

 

[GOilers88]

Edm have enough talient to be postseason team
Tampa without Kucherov is far from that "loaded with talient team" - just watch their regular season results there is no PPG player at entire team when Kuch injured while Draisaitl lonely scored amount of point almost = Point+Palat scored.

I majorly disagree. If McDavid sat out all year like Kuch the Oilers miss the playoffs by a mile.

Tampa is a vastly superior team in every regard and I can't believe someone is trying to make it sound like they aren't.

 

[The Nuge]

Nope. Get it you're an Oilers fan but from a neutral perspective this is as blatantly a homer post as it gets.

please tell me how. Only 2 players managed to put up 160+ points over the last 2 seasons. McDavid and Draisaitl. Draisaitl had 194 points. 23% higher than 3rd place in that time. Even if Kucherov didn’t miss a game this year, and kept up his pace from last year, he’d be sitting 5th in points. Kucherov has had a hell of a playoff run, but fans around the league are willfully ignorant about the level Draisaitl has been at the last couple years.

 

[geoo9]

I majorly disagree. If McDavid sat out all year like Kuch the Oilers miss the playoffs by a mile.
Tampa is a vastly superior team in every regard and I can't believe someone is trying to make it sound like they aren't.

Edmonton would be team without McD with 14 mil of free money, Nobody know how they would use it

 

[geoo9]

Kucherov has had a hell of a playoff run, but fans around the league are willfully ignorant about the level Draisaitl has been at the last couple years.

Kuch just havent that high lvl linemates to compete at increasing eachother stats

 

[PensandCaps]

He might be #1 when you consider playoffs and his 128 point season.

 

[daver]

Anyone arguing Kuch over McDavid is nuts. Swap Point out for McDavid, and i truly believe Connor would be closing in on 50 points already

Naw, he was 3rd in team scoring the last time his team got past the 1st round so he would be around 20 points.

 

[Asymmetric Solution]

Pretty comical that the Oilers think they have the two best players in the league but got swept by a team that got swept.

 

[Voight]

23. Kucherov has 127 points in 113 playoff games, 1.12 points per game. Among players with that many post-season appearances, only Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Mike Bossy, Jari Kurri and Peter Forsberg scored at a higher rate. Really impressive.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

And he played the entire 2020 playoffs with an injured groin and the last series and a half in 2021 with a fractured rib. Pretty crazy stuff.

 

[42]

Playoffs alone, he's clear #1.
Regular season and playoffs, he's clear #2.
Regular season only, he is in the conversation for #2.

 

[Galactico]

Fantastic player but how is he #2 in the league when he didn’t even win the Conn Smyth?

 

[Sinistril]

Fantastic player but how is he #2 in the league when he didn’t even win the Conn Smyth?

Him not winning felt more like a convienent excuse...writers being political.

 

[Anahome]

Kuch is so good that he even made his teams goalie the best in the world. None of players in the NHL can say the same. So, he is the number 1.