Kucherov Responds to Critics, Won't Discuss Re-signing
- Mike Smith
- May 8
- 7 min read
By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports
Tampa Bay Lightning Forward Nikita Kucherov has been in this position before: Leading the NHL in several scoring categories, only to have his performance fall short in the playoffs. After another first-round elimination, this time at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens, Kucherov spent this week answering his critics while not commenting on the possibility of returning to the team after his contract expires in 2027.
The three-time Art Ross Trophy winner, awarded to the league's top point scorer, posted the second-highest total in 2025-26 with 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists). Only Conor McDavid scored more this past season with 138 points.
A late-season illness forced Kucherov to miss three games and his opportunity to win the points title for a third year in a row. He earned the award in 2023-24, 2024-25, and back in 2018-19.
Despite his regular-season accolades, critics have pointed out his greatest shortcoming in recent times: failing to produce in the postseason.
In the Stanley Cup Championship years, Kucherov produced stellar numbers. Over the two-year run, the Lightning forward amassed 66 points (15 goals and 51 assists). Even in 2021-22, when the Lightning lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Cup Finals, he had 27 points (8 goals and 19 assists).
Since then, however, his postseason production has dropped.
In the last four first-round exits, Kucherov has only managed to score 23 total points (2 goals and 21 assists). His +/- rating is +1 over the course of 23 games. He gave the puck away 40 times.
In the series loss to Montreal, he managed just a goal and five assists, giving the puck away ten times. He was also assessed ten penalty minutes, at times showing his frustration on the ice.
Kucherov responded to the critics and placed the blame for his struggles during the seven-game series on himself.
"It doesn't matter if (the series) goes seven or four or five, at the end of the day, we didn't get the job done," Kucherov said. "My game had to be better, and it wasn't."
Montreal did enough of a job defensively to keep Kucherov at bay, which provided an opportunity for Brandon Hagel to step up. But Kucherov didn't feel that the Canadiens did anything extraordinary to beat him.
"I don't think it was anything special, to be honest," he said. "I think it's just on us not being able to create more chances five on five and be better in the power play."
"They (Montreal) created a good team. They defended well, but at the same time, we've got to be a lot better."
When asked about what one skill he needed to work on in the offseason, Kucherov spoke about his effort, the team's effort, and the need for improvement.
"I don't know. Everything (needs to be worked on). It's not one thing that you can be better at," Kucherov said. "There's a lot of things in the game, so you got to get better. Everybody has to work on their game and prepare for next season."
When asked about Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper's comments regarding how the hockey gods were not on the Lightning's side this series, Kucherov scoffed and focused on the reality of the situation.
"Like I said, we have to do better five-on-five and create a lot more chances, which we didn't," the Hart Memorial Trophy finalist said. "We didn't get it done."
"We need to do a better job. If we win this series, we're talking about the great plays he made, not the puck touches that didn't go the way we wanted them to," Lightning General Manager BriesBois said Tuesday regarding Kucherov's performance. "And he would get an extra series to maybe get hot and turn it on and completely change the narrative again."
Kucherov's Work Ethic is Second to None
Kucherov is one of the hardest-working players in the NHL. He is normally the first one on the ice for practice and spends his free time working on his game. His offseason workouts, considered among the toughest and most productive, entice other elite NHL players to join him to elevate their skills.
Kucherov is also his own critic, and that came through repeatedly this week when asked whether he had improved from last season to this one.
"I hoped it got better, but at the same time, my game had to be better," he said. "It wasn't. So you know, it is what it is."
Kucherov is an anomaly, both on and off the ice. While racking up goals and assists year after year, the 32-year-old tends to keep to himself and can seem abrasive and curt at times. Traits that feed his critics and some fans.
"I say it all of the time. For people who don't get to know him the way we get to know him, he is misunderstood. He is a misunderstood genius," BreisBois said. "He is a fabulous player, and the standards are so high. The standards he sets for himself are really high. The standards the hockey world sets on him are really, really, really high."
“He’s the best player in the world,” Brandon Hagel said after Game 2. “He’s been doing it continuously every single year. Yeah, I got the opportunity to play with him for many years, so maybe you can say I gained a little bit of chemistry with him. But at the same time, you put that guy out with any five guys, he’s going to make five guys around him better.”
“His (Kucherov's) brain is at another level. (Conor) McDavid is a special player, but bigger, faster, stronger doesn’t always translate to the best players," Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern said. "Kucherov’s speed is very underrated; his skating is very underrated. His ability to read plays and have the skill to make those plays makes him the special player he is.”
Kucherov's play is recognized throughout the league, as well, even if the national media do not totally acknowledge it.
“He doesn’t skate like Conor (McDavid) does, but he does a lot of other things that some of these guys can’t do, right?" Former Lightning Captain Steven Stamkos said. "I think if you ask players around the league, he’s probably one of the players that guys say that they enjoy watching because it’s not as obvious as blowing by someone on the ice or making a power move like MacKinnon. I mean, it’s kind of like an art.”
Kucherov is again a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player to his team during the regular season. He has won the coveted award before, in 2019.
He is also a finalist for the Ted Lindsey award, given to the NHL's most outstanding player in the regular season, which he also won last year and in 2019.
“He possesses everything. He probably elects more to be a playmaker," Zach Bogosian, former Bolt and Minnesota Wild star, said. "But if you see him shoot the puck, if you see him turn on skating, he can move. So there’s really nothing he can’t do. The game can be chaotic, and he has that calming presence.”
Will Kucherov Re-Sign, or Won't He?
Kucherov is entering the final season of his seven-year, $78 million deal ($9.5 million AAV per year), and things are up in the air regarding his possible re-signing.
Kucherov would not discuss the impending contract talks.
“You will have to ask (Lightning GM) Julien (BreisBois), Kucherov said. "I am not even thinking about it.”
Whether you see that response as him being blunt towards Lighting management or just Kucherov focusing on his play and letting his agent do the legwork is up for debate.
“In due time, we will engage with his agent," BreisBois said. "We’ve already had some conversations."
Critics and some fans want to see him traded before he re-signs, a notion team officials won't consider.
"(Kucherov is) a phenomenal player," BriseBois said. "And a key reason that we are as competitive as we are is how good a player he is, and I foresee him staying in our organization for a very long time, hopefully till the end of his career. He wants to stay, and we'd like him to stay. And then when we have something to announce, we'll make an announcement."
BriesBois prefers to sign players before their contracts expire, so expect an announcement sooner rather than later.
Kucherov is best suited for Tampa Bay. The Lightning knows it. Kucherov knows it.
Aside from a few disgruntled fans unhappy with the team's recent play, Kucherov is beloved by the community, despite his low-profile demeanor.
The local press is very respectful of him and maintains a mutually beneficial relationship: he provides some of the best quotes, albeit limited and brief. The local press respects his talent and his privacy.
Bigger hockey markets such as Edmonton, Toronto, and New York wouldn't welcome Kucherov to the area, but would be critical of him no matter how well he played.
And he would continue to play well for any team he joined. The reception would be the difference, and Kucherov understands how well he has it in Tampa.
For Kucherov, the sky's the limit. The Lightning will have the resources to pay him what he deserves with the new salary cap.
BreisBois has shown he is a wizard with salary cap numbers. Kucherov has shown he is a wizard with the hockey puck.
In what has been a wonderful relationship between player and team so far, it will continue to be at least for one more year, in hopes that the Lightning's playoff run will see better days than it has in recent memory.
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