Kucherov’s differential is bad for a 126-point guy

It’s not the first time Kucherov has had a differential that’s completely unrepresentative of his point totals, but it hasn’t always been this way.

Last year, Kucherov collected 113 points and posted a differential of -2…

The year before that, 69 points in 47 games and a +/- of +1.

I understand that differential is a team statistic and that Kucherov doesn’t have to excel defensively. As I mentioned, every player has his strengths and weaknesses, and you can’t expect much defensively from a purely offensive player.

But there’s a middle ground too.

It reminds me of Alex Ovechkin’s 2013-14 season, another offensive-oriented player, when he scored 51 goals and 79 points in 78 games, but with a differential of -35.

Now that’s more than atrocious. But we always knew that defense and Ovechkin didn’t mix.

But we saw a marked improvement the following year, when the Washington Capitals changed head coaches to Barry Trotz.

With his defensive system, he transformed Ovechkin almost overnight.

In 2014-15, Ovechkin greatly improved his differential from -35 to +10.

So, if Ovechkin could improve this aspect of his game, why couldn’t Kucherov?

Without necessarily changing coaches, there could be some defensive tightening in training, or even some individual sessions to improve his defensive game.

However, what seems to be the problem with Kucherov’s defensive game isn’t his lack of talent, because anyone can learn to play defensively.

Rather, it’s his laziness, and without motivation/interest to improve this, there’s not much to be done, unfortunately.

At least Tampa Bay can rely on its offensive contribution, and that’s where having different types of players on a team is very important to get far in the playoffs. Clearly, it seems to have worked for the Lightning, who have enjoyed a great deal of success in recent years.

Breaking news

– Only one season left for Brayden Point.

– Too bad.

– At just 27, McDavid is already close to the 1,000-point plateau in his career.

– The former Rangers player had some great moments alongside Chris Kreider.

– Frank Nazar was the prospect selected with the 13th overall pick of 2022 involved in the trade of Kirby Dach and Alexander Romanov.

– The Vancouver Canucks beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 to officially secure their playoff spot.

– Here are the eight games on the schedule for Monday, April 1ᵉʳ, 2024.