Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov has parlayed a scoring surge in 2026 into a spot in the Art Ross Trophy conversation alongside Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
Kucherov tallied an assist against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday for his eighth point in his past three games to move into a tie with MacKinnon for second in the league at 104 points. Those two trail McDavid (110), but both have two games in hand over the Edmonton Oilers captain.
| Player | Team | Points | Games remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | Oilers | 110 | 17 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Lightning | 104 | 19 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche | 104 | 19 |
| Leon Draisaitl | Oilers | 94 | 17 |
| Macklin Celebrini | Sharks | 90 | 20 |
Kucherov is a two-time defending Art Ross Trophy winner, and has taken the award home three times over his illustrious 12-year career. So it shouldn’t serve as a surprise that he is in the hunt once again - except for the fact that he was all but out of the race on Jan. 1.
The 32-year-old winger had a slow start (by his lofty standards) to the season, logging 10 points over his first nine games and 32 over his first 23 games in the first two months of the year.
Fast starts from his peers around the league left Kucherov buried on the scoring chart at the New Year.
| Player | Points on Jan. 1 (difference) | Points on Feb. 1 (difference) | Points on Mar. 11 (difference) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | 70 (-) | 95 (-) | 110 (-) |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 70 (-) | 91 (-4) | 104 (-6) |
| Nikita Kucherov | 54 (-16) | 86 (-9) | 104 (-6) |
| Leon Draisaitl | 57 (-13) | 78 (-17) | 94 (-16) |
| Macklin Celebrini | 62 (-8) | 79 (-16) | 90 (-20) |
| Mikko Rantanen | 56 (-14) | 66 (-29) | 69 (-41) |
Kucherov notched a blistering 31 points in 14 games in January, and has totaled 53 points in 24 games since the start of the New Year.
That production would put the electrifying winger on a 181-point pace for an entire season.
“It’s like poetry on ice watching him play,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said after Kucherov crossed the 100-point mark in a four-point showing against the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in March. “He sees things other guys don’t. I’ve been fortunate to have a front row seat to it for almost a decade. Just his ability to create and his vision, it’s unparalleled.
There are world-class players in this league, I just had a couple of them in Milan but they play a different style than Nikita. He plays a fast game but he has the ability to slow the whole thing down to even where people who are probably novices at hockey can watch and say, ‘Oh I see what he’s doing.’ It’s almost like he’s teaching a class while doing it.”
Oddsmakers have taken notice of the scoring surge and odds on FanDuel for the Art Ross Trophy have changed to reflect the state of the race.
While McDavid is still the strong favourite, Kucherov has taken the second-highest odds at +185.
| Player | Team | Art Ross Odds on FanDuel |
|---|---|---|
| Connor McDavid | Oilers | +110 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Lightning | +185 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | Avalanche | +250 |
| Leon Draisaitl | Oilers | +22,500 |
Kucherov is the leader in points per game this season at 1.76 after missing some time earlier in the year with an upper-body injury. McDavid ranks second at 1.69.
Kucherov’s production in Lightning wins dwarfs his production in losses - he has 81 points in 39 victories against just 23 points in 20 losses.
That could play an important factor down the stretch, as the team has struggled since the Olympic break, ceding control of the Atlantic Division to the Buffalo Sabres. The Lightning have just two wins in their past eight games.
If Kucherov were to take home the unlikely Art Ross Trophy this season, that would move him into a tie with Stan Mikita for the seventh-most in NHL history.
