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Nikita Kucherov

#86 · Right wing · Tampa Bay Lightning

Born Jun 17, 1993 in Maykop, RUS (age 33) · 5'11", 172 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 58th overall in 2011 by TBL (round 2)

Trophy case

×2 Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2020-21, 2019-20
×2 Ted Lindsay Award Most Outstanding Player as Voted by the NHLPA 2024-25, 2018-19

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2013-14. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Jesse Winchester FLA · 18 P in 52 GP Jimmy Hayes FLA · 18 P in 55 GP Chris Kelly BOS · 18 P in 57 GP Mark Arcobello EDM · 18 P in 41 GP Ryan Strome NYI · 18 P in 37 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0501002013-14: 18 points1813-142014-15: 65 points6514-152015-16: 66 points6615-162016-17: 85 points8516-172017-18: 100 points10017-182018-19: 128 points12818-192019-20: 85 points8519-202021-22: 69 points6921-222022-23: 113 points11322-232023-24: 144 points14423-242024-25: 121 points12124-252025-26: 130 points13025-262026-27: 8 points826-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2013-14 TBL 52 9 9 18 3 14 102 15 0.35 $712K
2014-15 TBL 82 29 36 65 38 37 191 65 0.79 $712K
2015-16 TBL 77 30 36 66 9 30 209 61 0.86 $712K
2016-17 TBL 74 40 45 85 13 38 246 30 1.15 $4.767M
2017-18 TBL 80 39 61 100 15 42 279 31 1.25 $4.767M
2018-19 TBL 82 41 87 128 24 62 246 44 1.56 $4.767M
2019-20 TBL 68 33 52 85 26 38 210 37 1.25 $9.5M
2021-22 TBL 47 25 44 69 1 22 156 32 1.47 $9.5M
2022-23 TBL 82 30 83 113 -2 36 271 61 1.38 $9.5M
2023-24 TBL 81 44 100 144 8 22 306 45 1.78 $9.5M
2024-25 TBL 78 37 84 121 22 45 265 23 1.55 $9.5M
2025-26 TBL 77 44 86 130 43 50 231 36 1.69 $9.5M
2026-27 TBL 5 1 7 8 4 0 7 0 1.60 $9.5M
13 seasons Career 885 402 730 1132 204 436 2719 480 1.28

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2013-14 TBL 2 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 0.50
2014-15 TBL 26 10 12 22 7 14 57 39 0.85
2015-16 TBL 17 11 8 19 13 8 51 22 1.12
2017-18 TBL 17 7 10 17 -6 10 61 14 1.00
2018-19 TBL 3 0 2 2 -4 19 9 3 0.67
2019-20 TBL 22 6 26 32 17 18 82 37 1.45
2020-21 TBL 23 8 24 32 6 14 62 18 1.39
2021-22 TBL 23 8 19 27 7 14 77 24 1.17
2022-23 TBL 6 1 5 6 0 11 21 11 1.00
2023-24 TBL 5 0 7 7 -1 2 9 13 1.40
2024-25 TBL 5 0 4 4 0 2 7 5 0.80
2025-26 TBL 7 1 5 6 2 10 31 5 0.86
12 seasons Playoffs 156 53 122 175 41 122 470 192 1.12

2013-14 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
52 9 9 18 3 14 102 15 0.35 8.8 13:07

Contract

$712KCap hitends in 2016, then RFA
$40KCap dollars per point18 points in 52 games
$147KCap dollars per goal above replacement4.9 goals above replacement
$3.3MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$2.6MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 641 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sep 11, 2012, as an entry-level contract: 3 years and $2.775M, beginning in 2013-14. It runs through 2015-16, with 2 seasons left after this one, and he is then a restricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2013-14 $712K $600K $93K $233K $693K
2014-15 $712K $650K $93K $183K $743K
2015-16 $712K $700K $0 $133K $700K

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Jul 10, 2018 Tampa Bay Lightning Extension 2019-20 to 2026-27 8 $76M $9.5M
Oct 11, 2016 Tampa Bay Lightning New contract 2016-17 to 2018-19 3 $14.3M $4.767M
Sep 11, 2012 Tampa Bay Lightning Entry-level 2013-14 to 2015-16 signed for 2012-13, slid 3 $2.775M $712K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2013-14 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2013-14 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+4.9Goals above replacement207th of 672 skaters, 151st of 438 forwards
+0.8Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+3.0Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 438 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+1.8 70th percentileEven-strength defence+0.8 68th percentilePower play+0.3 74th percentilePenalty kill0.0 44th percentilePenalties+0.1 39th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

05101520252013-142015-162017-182019-202022-232024-252026-27Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

53.9Corsi for %605 attempts for, 517 against
+3.0CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.6Expected goals for %25.2 expected for, 20.2 against
+6.3xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.0Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
59.4Goals for %19 for, 13 against
100.6PDO5.5% shooting + 95.1% saves
153Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 567 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Nate Thompson · Nikita Kucherov · JT Brown32196:3657.459.74-6
Teddy Purcell · Alex Killorn · Nikita Kucherov1146:5150.049.42-0
Alex Killorn · Tyler Johnson · Nikita Kucherov642:0358.840.51-1
Tom Pyatt · Nikita Kucherov · JT Brown635:2251.764.41-0

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

9Goalsnot counting empty-netters
11.2Expected goalsfrom 154 unblocked attempts
-2.2Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.99 expected goals per 60 minutes90th
Shot quality 7.3% chance per attempt48th
Finishing -2.2 goals above expected27thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 403 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0510Game 20Game 40Expected 11.2Goals 9

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 13, 2014 @ WSH W 1-0 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 12:37
Apr 11, 2014 vs CBJ W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 10:38
Apr 10, 2014 vs PHI W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 2 3 0 11:49
Apr 8, 2014 vs TOR W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 12:35
Apr 5, 2014 vs DAL L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 08:37
Apr 3, 2014 vs CGY L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18:14
Apr 1, 2014 vs MTL W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 09:20
Mar 30, 2014 @ DET L 2-3 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 11:05
Mar 29, 2014 @ BUF W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 10:17
Mar 27, 2014 vs NYI W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 11:23
Mar 24, 2014 vs OTT L 3-4 (SO) 1 0 1 -1 0 3 0 08:41
Mar 13, 2014 vs FLA W 5-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 10:09
Mar 6, 2014 vs BUF L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 2 3 0 13:52
Mar 4, 2014 @ STL L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 10:45
Mar 2, 2014 @ COL L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 11:35
Mar 1, 2014 @ DAL W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 12:15
Feb 27, 2014 @ NSH L 2-3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 11:22
Feb 8, 2014 vs DET W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 12:06
Feb 6, 2014 vs TOR L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 15:34
Feb 4, 2014 @ MIN L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 13:12
Feb 1, 2014 @ MTL W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 15:02
Jan 30, 2014 @ OTT L 3-5 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 14:59
Jan 28, 2014 @ TOR L 2-3 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 10:53
Jan 25, 2014 vs COL W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 13:45
Jan 23, 2014 vs OTT W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10:54
Jan 19, 2014 @ CAR W 5-3 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 13:06
Jan 18, 2014 vs SJS L 4-5 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 16:20
Jan 16, 2014 vs NYI L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 13:07
Jan 14, 2014 @ NYR W 2-1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 09:18
Jan 13, 2014 @ CBJ L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 13:34
Jan 11, 2014 @ PHI W 6-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 16:21
Jan 9, 2014 vs WSH L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 13:28
Jan 7, 2014 @ WPG W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 14:38
Jan 5, 2014 @ EDM L 3-5 1 0 1 -2 0 4 1 13:06
Jan 3, 2014 @ CGY W 2-0 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 10:08
Jan 1, 2014 @ VAN W 4-2 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 12:38
Dec 29, 2013 vs NYR L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16:19
Dec 28, 2013 vs MTL L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 16:58
Dec 23, 2013 @ FLA W 6-1 0 2 2 2 0 2 0 16:04
Dec 21, 2013 vs CAR W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 15:01
Dec 19, 2013 vs NSH W 4-2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 11:36
Dec 17, 2013 @ NYI W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 19:32
Dec 15, 2013 @ DET W 3-0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 13:39
Dec 14, 2013 @ NJD L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 12:30
Dec 12, 2013 vs DET W 2-1 (SO) 1 0 1 1 0 4 1 14:47
Dec 10, 2013 @ WSH L 5-6 (SO) 1 0 1 -1 0 3 1 14:07
Dec 7, 2013 vs WPG L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 13:50
Dec 5, 2013 vs OTT W 3-1 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 13:57
Dec 3, 2013 @ CBJ L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:18
Nov 29, 2013 vs PIT L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:31
Nov 27, 2013 vs PHI W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 15:56
Nov 25, 2013 vs NYR W 5-0 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 11:31