Lightning Superstar Drawing Big Comparisons

A leader on the Tampa Bay Lightning is drawing some pretty large comparisons.

Dec 28, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) looks on against the New York Rangers during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

For going on a decade, Nikita Kucherov has been one of the top players in the NHL and a leader in the Tampa Bay Lightning lineup. With four 100-point seasons, and pacing for a fifth, Kucherov has helped lead the Lightning to a pair of Stanley Cup championships and seven straight playoff appearances.

 It’s his leadership and overall production that has brought people to compare the Lightning superstar to an all-time great, Wayne Gretzky. According to former NHLer turned player agent Sergei Samsonov, Kucherov has one specific skill that can reasonably compare to that of the Great One.

“As for his actions on the ice, Nikita not only has elite skill, but also phenomenal vision,” Samsonov told Responsible Gambler. “The way he sees the ice, he can even be compared to Gretzky. The moves he pulls off, how quickly he sees everything, how instantly he reads the ice – it’s phenomenal.”

While no one is saying Kucherov is better than, or even closely comparable to Gretzky, it’s his vision that helps him play at such a high level.

In 761 career regular season games, Kucherov has 337 goals and a whopping 592 assists for 929 total points. There’s always discussion about his goal-scoring ability, but he’s led the league in assists twice, including an astounding 100 helpers last year.

Twice an Art Ross winner as the NHL’s scoring leader and the Hart Trophy as MVP in 2019, there doesn’t seem to be any slowing down Kucherov.

Samsonov works closely with Kucherov’s agent, Dan Milstein, and knows personally just how hard Kucherov works to stay at the top of his game.

“The guys who know him closely speak of his enormous professionalism,” Samsonov told RG. “When the season ends, he takes a week off, and then starts skating and shooting at the goal in his basement again. I'm not sure many people understand that to become great, talent alone, no matter how great it is, is not enough. You have to work incredibly hard to achieve this. And work year after year, without stopping."

Kucherov is once again leading the Lightning in scoring with 56 points (17G-39A) in 36 games, keeping the team firmly in the playoff race.

So long as Kucherov is playing at the top of his game, and that Gretzky-esque vision sticks around, the Lightning will always be a fierce team atop the NHL.

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