Would Tampa still be 1st without Kucherov?

[MrThomas]

Kucherov is crazy good but I still don't know if he should win the Hart because I think Tampa would still be the best team in NHL even without him. Art Ross for him for sure.

What do you think would Tampa still be 1st without Kucherov?

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[Falco Lombardi]

No

 

[MrThomas]

No

Thanks for the answer. Why not?

 

[Matty Sundin]

No. Hes a f***ing gangsta

 

[DRW204]

Probably still in 1st, but not a huge gap as it is now they have a Vezina calibre goalie, elite depth, Norris Dman, Stamkos-Point are both PPG+ Cs that are pacing for 40+ goals.....Point might get some selke recognition too

but if Kucherov started trying they might be undefeated this year

 

[God King Fudge]

No, they wouldn't be.

A big part of Stamkos' revival this season is because of Kucherov. The threat of Kucherov on the PP repeatedly open up guys right in the slot for easy goals.

They'd still be one of the better teams in the East, but I don't think they'd be #1 without Kucherov. He makes that team go.

 

[DRW204]

No, they wouldn't be.

A big part of Stamkos' revival this season is because of Kucherov. The threat of Kucherov on the PP repeatedly open up guys right in the slot for easy goals.

They'd still be one of the better teams in the East, but I don't think they'd be #1 without Kucherov. He makes that team go.

Stamkos is doing pretty damn well 5v5 this year & he has spent the majority of the year w/o Kuch at 5v5

 

[Snippit]

Yea. The gap is that massive.

 

[dechire]

No.

 

[God King Fudge]

Stamkos is doing pretty damn well 5v5 this year & he has spent the majority of the year w/o Kuch at 5v5

Stamkos has proved he's still a very capable goal scorer, but without teams focusing so hard on Kucherov and Point, they're on Stamkos.

Stamkos gets easier matchups because of Kucherov.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

Thanks for the answer. Why not?

I think he takes a ton of pressure off of Stamkos. I think in particular it would affect their PP with coverages sliding to Stamkos if Kucherov isn't there.

 

[Hoek]

Maybe, but certainly not by 15 points. It would be a lot tighter race for 1st.

 

[Fataldogg]

They would still be top 5 in NHL and be a Cup favorite.

 

[bov]

I still think they would be. The offense runs through Kucherov when he's on the ice but in his absence I think there's enough skill there to make up for a good amount of that scoring. They could even have Stamkos/Point/Johnson/Cirelli at centre and slightly increased roles for guys like Joseph and Erne who seem more than capable of providing depth scoring. I think they'd be in the 75-80 point range even without Kucherov, as it would open up some opportunity for guys who are much more skilled than their place on the depth chart would indicate.

 

[GlitchMarner]

Guys like Johnson, Palat, Gourde, Killorn, Joseph, Cirelli make the forward group deep, but they only have one Kucherov on the wing. He's a big part of the offense and the team's success.

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

No, they would not and no, your favorite player is not more deserving of the Hart Trophy than Kucherov is.

 

[Mildan]

This thread would have worked better as a poll. Haven't watched Tampa games this year so I don't have an opinion on the matter.

 

[Absolut]

TBL are a very deep and talented group. But Kucherov drives their offense. By generating, scoring, drawing 2-3 defenders to himself, getting PPs, etc. He is such a beast, it's crazy. Kuch is a huge part of Stamkos' revival, and he makes everyone he plays with better. This team is very hard to imagine without 86; they are a very different group when he's not there.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Is Kucherov worth 15 PTS over replacement in the standings? Probably not. That doesn't mean someone else (Aho) is worth more though.

 

[Rschmitz]

Kucherov is by far the most valuable player on by far the most valuable team in the league. Whether we would still be in 1st or not is irrelevant. Some real backwards logic to rationalize that a players individual accomplishments should be diminished because of his teams accomplishments.

 

[Absolut]

Is Kucherov worth 15 PTS over replacement in the standings? Probably not. That doesn't mean someone else (Aho) is worth more though.

Who is Kucherov's replacement for the Bolts? Who replaces his assists, goals, and overall ability to drive the offense? Who replaces him in a way that keeps Stamkos on his pace? How can you predict the outcome of past games if you remove Kucherov's offense? How do you know what the team's offensive production would be? How do you know what the possession time would be? Lower possession numbers mean more pressure on defense. More pressure on defense means more pressure on Vasi. Like, this is not NHL19. Can't just calculate what the player is "worth" in terms of team points. What's Kane worth to the Hawks? What's Panarin worth to the Jackets? You tell me.

 

[LordZapp]

OP looking for aho recognition

 

[Mickey Marner]

Who is Kucherov's replacement for the Bolts? Who replaces his assists, goals, and overall ability to drive the offense? Who replaces him in a way that keeps Stamkos on his pace? How can you predict the outcome of past games if you remove Kucherov's offense? How do you know what the team's offensive production would be? How do you know what the possession time would be? Lower possession numbers mean more pressure on defense. More pressure on defense means more pressure on Vasi. Like, this is not NHL19. Can't just calculate what the player is "worth" in terms of team points. What's Kane worth to the Hawks? What's Panarin worth to the Jackets? You tell me.

I'm not your shrink, bud. You can work out your agnosiophobia on your own.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Yes they probably still would be in first....and he still should win the Hart.

 

[SuperScript29]

Geez, you're really getting desperate here aren't you.

No, Aho is not close or even the same league as Kuch in the Hart race.