{"id":535336,"date":"2026-04-01T20:33:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T20:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/535336\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T20:33:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T20:33:14","slug":"pat-maroon-makes-bold-claim-on-76m-lightning-star-nikita-kucherov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/535336\/","title":{"rendered":"Pat Maroon makes bold claim on $76M Lightning star Nikita Kucherov"},"content":{"rendered":"

Retired NHL<\/a> forward Pat Maroon has made a strong statement about Nikita Kucherov<\/a>, calling the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> star the most talented player he has ever seen.<\/p>\n

The praise comes during another dominant season for Kucherov. The Russian winger, who is signed on a $76 million contract, has already crossed the 120-point mark for the fourth time in his career. He sits second (with 121 points) in NHL scoring, just behind Connor McDavid<\/a> (125 points), while maintaining one of the best points-per-game rates in the league.<\/p>\n

MORE: Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews faces \u2018tough summer\u2019 after knee surgery<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking on the \u201cMissin Curfew\u201d podcast, Maroon praised Kucherov\u2019s unique skill set and daily work habits. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s gonna be an argument here, [but] I think he\u2019s the most talented player I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d Maroon said. \u201cWith his edge work, with the way he sees the game, the way he can pick up, rim up on the wall. <\/p>\n

\u201cLike, he must be the best player to pick up a puck on the wall. I don\u2019t care what anyone says. I think he distributes it the way it needs to go. He kills so much spin on the puck, the way he catches it on his heel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maroon especially pointed out how Kucherov controls difficult passes and then turns them into scoring chances. He said Kucherov practices specific scenarios daily, which helps him stay sharp in games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got the opportunity to skate with him when I used to come here, and he puts himself in every situation that he\u2019s gonna play in, and he works on it every single day,\u201d Maroon said. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you know, his power play spot, he stays there. He\u2019ll get passes, or he\u2019ll rim 100 pucks around, or he\u2019ll just pass them inside the net. He\u2019ll get some other passes on the heel, one-touch it to the middle. Like, he puts himself in all the situations game-like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nikita Kucherov\u2019s consistency and impact on the Lightning\u2019s playoff<\/p>\n

\"\"Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Kucherov\u2019s consistency has placed him among elite company in NHL history. He now owns six 100-point seasons, including four straight campaigns above that mark. His recent form has been strong, highlighted by a standout March where he led the league in scoring.<\/p>\n

The Lightning have also benefited from his production. Tampa Bay holds a strong 46-22-6 position in the Atlantic Division and remains a serious playoff contender. Kucherov continues to drive the offense, combining goal scoring with high-level playmaking.<\/p>\n

MORE: Major changes possible for Maple Leafs & nobody is \u2018safe\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Maroon\u2019s comments reflect what many around the league believe. Kucherov\u2019s talent is not just natural ability but also the result of constant repetition and attention to detail.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he works at it every single day,\u201d Maroon said.<\/p>\n

As the season moves toward the playoffs, Kucherov\u2019s form could prove decisive. If he maintains this level, the Lightning will remain a major threat in the Stanley Cup race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Retired NHL forward Pat Maroon has made a strong statement about Nikita Kucherov, calling the Tampa Bay Lightning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535337,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5105],"tags":[155,5,189,4,1335,540,92,5168,5167],"class_list":{"0":"post-535336","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-lightning","8":"tag-connor-mcdavid","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-lightning","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-nikita-kucherov","13":"tag-tampa-bay","14":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","15":"tag-tampabay","16":"tag-tampabaylightning"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116331362246821050","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}