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

wingnutks

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Nov 17, 2011
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Great player. But put Kucherov on the Oilers and they are still out in the first round and he has no chance at 15pts, let alone 40. When you are talking about playoff points you dont get them with out being on an elite team.
 
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kevsh

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Nov 28, 2018
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I don't care about the numbers, just watch him play. As cliché as it is, he makes the near impossible look routine. His passing, his puck control, shot release & accuracy, the icy stare.

He's not going to score the highlight reel supersonic-speed goals like McD or charge the blueline like Nate The Mac Truck, but he creates offense like few other players can. #1? Still McD. #2, pretty compelling, has my vote. Top 3 at worst, not really a debate.
 

DistantThunderRep

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Mar 8, 2018
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I don't care about the numbers, just watch him play. As cliché as it is, he makes the near impossible look routine. His passing, his puck control, shot release & accuracy, the icy stare.

He's not going to score the highlight reel supersonic-speed goals like McD or charge the blueline like Nate The Mac Truck, but he creates offense like few other players can. #1? Still McD. #2, pretty compelling, has my vote. Top 3 at worst, not really a debate.
This guy watches Kucherov.
 

Kalamazoo Wings

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May 4, 2010
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Can you think of a reason to explain away Kucherov's 34 playoff points last year?

Yup, happy to. Was just replying to a guy who was making an excuse as to why McDavid has so many regular season points. So I gave him my version of an excuse for Kucherov's playoff points. By inflated teammates I was meaning a lot more talent for him to play with. The via inflated cap hit I'll admit was added to get a rise out of the fun Tampa fans. He's a fine player, and really all I'm saying is the benefit McDavid receives from inflated minutes is an excuse and is on par with someone(me) pointing out the benefit Kucherov receives from playing with a higher level of talent around him.
 

LordZapp

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Jan 31, 2015
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Mcdavid dominated a Canadian only division this year. Just not as impressive if it was against the whole league and putting up those numbers. Not torching Vancouver and winnepeg for 56 games.
 

ottawa

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Mcdavid dominated a Canadian only division this year. Just not as impressive if it was against the whole league and putting up those numbers. Not torching Vancouver and winnepeg for 56 games.

People can shit on the North division as much as they want...all this year is showing me is that Montreal would have eaten pretty much every team in the West division alive aside from maybe Vegas.

If McDavid tore it up in the North division, just imagine what he would have done do the Cali teams, Phoenix and St Louis.

Pretty sure McDavid was also in the lowest (or 2nd lowest) scoring division as well.
 
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geoo9

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Mar 15, 2013
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That's why I quoted the post I did... to refute that Kucherov's regular season peak is somehow more impressive. If you can't honestly objectively look at McDavid season last year and say it was more impressive than Kucherov's 128 I don't know what to tell you. McDavid would have had to score at a 50 point pace in the last 26 to not achieve 128 had he been afforded the games. I think we can adjust and make calculated guesses on what a full season would look like considering McDavid has given us a regular season sample size as large and productive as he has to date.

When we had a 28 game sample size of Kucherov's playoffs was it really all that impressive? 23 points in 28 games is nice, sure but hardly special. Right now he looks all-world, but up until 2018-19 he was nothing special really. Even at that point, he had a decent sample size and was 61 points in 65 games, not close to MacKinnon levels at the same games played mark. To take you back to a time when Bolts fans were slightly more humble, in 2018-19 Kucherov was coming off his Hart/Art Ross season, and was on a juggernaut, 62-20 President's Trophy team that got swept at the hands of Columbus. Now, I fully blame McDavid and Draisaitl for the sweep this year, but it doesn't compare to the level of disappointment Kucherov and his mates were at following the 2019 playoffs. But the past 2 years has been redemption for them. Maybe McDavid and Draisaitl can do like Kucherov and wipe the egg off their faces after an unexpected playoff sweep and come back stronger. I don't care one way or another if they do, but I wouldn't bet against it. I mean, 22 points in 21 isn't bad for McDavid, an apparent playoff no show. Him playing below the level we know he's capable of still puts his early playoff sample size ahead of Kucherov's early sample size. Give it time, McDavid's 24, he might still be a playoff guy, we know he laps the field in the regular season.

I say all of this as a fan of neither guy, though I'd actually probably lean toward liking Kucherov a little better and I agree with the thread title that Kucherov is clear-cut #2.
will be or not be .....able, will or will not be - these are all fortune-telling - we cannot equate them with facts
 
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BoltsOfAnarchy

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May 12, 2018
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People can shit on the North division as much as they want...all this year is showing me is that Montreal would have eaten pretty much every team in the West division alive aside from maybe Vegas.

If McDavid tore it up in the North division, just imagine what he would have done do the Cali teams, Phoenix and St Louis.

Pretty sure McDavid was also in the lowest (or 2nd lowest) scoring division as well.

yeah except they didn't lol... MTL wasn't even a lock for playoff spot for a good chunk of the year. Price was hurt & inconsistent, a coaching change, etc.... but they got clicking at the right time like many deep run playoff teams seem to do.

but this notion that they were some strong threat, sleeping giant all regular season?? LMAO ! This board is just full of short-sighted, knee jerk reactions & recency bias.
 

ottawa

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yeah except they didn't lol... MTL wasn't even a lock for playoff spot for a good chunk of the year. Price was hurt & inconsistent, a coaching change, etc.... but they got clicking at the right time like many deep run playoff teams seem to do.

but this notion that they were some strong threat, sleeping giant all regular season?? LMAO ! This board is just full of short-sighted, knee jerk reactions & recency bias.

You misunderstood my post...I'm not saying the habs were a sleeping giant. I'm saying the West is overrated and weaker than everyone thought.

Vegas was supposed to destroy the habs in 4 and are struggling to get anything going right now...they had a great game 1 and that's now looking due to the habs being rusty after a 7 day break. And that says a lot considering the habs aren't that good either.

Also the habs were in a playoff spot almost the entire year, what are you on about?
 

geoo9

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Mar 15, 2013
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Kucherov was the healthiest player in the league when the playoff’s started, he had been skating for a month and had no wear and tear from regular season games like everybody else did, nothing away from Kuch but this is a pretty big factor
well you didnt saw him healthy. He is literally didnt skate so far he playing injured
 

psycat

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Oct 25, 2016
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Is this much like a huge reason for Kucherov's playoff success is inflated teammate talent via inflated playoff cap hit?

Of course his numbers are somewhat inflated due to playing on a great team, else he might very well be golfing with McDavid now(that said I doubt Oilers with Kucherov instead of McDavid would have been swept)- doesn't change fact that he got better actual results in both regular season and playoffs. If someone like Roy can be argued to have a case over Hasek this is a no contest.
 

Dingo

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Jul 13, 2018
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linear rankings are dumb. variables everywhere, our own biases and inability to rate off the chart talents...

Kuch, McD and mackinnon are in the very top tier of current NHL talent. thats all.
 

Beneven Stanciano

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Feb 18, 2020
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This is my impression of the lot here:
"Well if you factor in this possibility, and make a calculated guess, and look at these numbers, and imagine XYZ is or isn't in their prime, and take into account the probabilities, it doesn't really matter what's happening right in front of my face because in my imagination I am justified."
 
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