Nikita Kucherov entered the 2025-26 season as the reigning Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award winner, and he certainly showed why once again for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kucherov is a finalist for the Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award once again due to his regular season performance, although his performance in the playoffs did leave some to be desired.
Regular Season Statistics
Games Played - 76 - Missing six games likely prevented Kucherov from winning a third straight Art Ross Trophy.
Goals - 44 - Tied a career high, the 2025-26 season marks the fourth time that he reached the 40-goal plateau.
Assists - 86 - The third most in a season for Kucherov. His 86 assists also marked the first time he matched his jersey number with a counting stat in his career.
Points - 130 - The second highest point total of Kucherov's career, trailing just his 144 point season in 2023-24. He finished second in the NHL in points, trailing just Connor McDavid (138).
Shots - 231 - The lowest since the 2021-22 season when he was limited to 47 games.
Shooting Percentage - 19.0% - The highest of Kucherov's career and is over four percent higher than his career average.
Time on Ice - 20:20 - The third highest of his career.
Game-Winning Goals - 8 - Tied for the second most game-winners in his career. He set his career high last season, with nine.
Plus/Minus - +43 - A new career high. Kucherov's previous career high was +38, which he recorded in the 2014-15 season.
Giveaways - 124 - The most of his career, surpassed his previous career-high, which was set last season, by two.
Takeaways - 21 - The fewest since the 2013-14 season.
Penalties Drawn - 27 - The fourth-most of his career.
Playoffs
Goals - 1 - The first playoff goal for Kucherov since 2023, only his second playoff goal in four years.
Assists - 5 - The second most on the Lightning.
Points - 6 - The third most on the team, finished just under a point-per-game pace with six points in seven games.
NHL EDGE
Hardest Shot - 92.06 MPH - Kucherov's hardest shot of the season came against the St. Louis Blues on December 22, 2025. His 92.06 MPH shot put him in the 90th percentile league wide.
Max Skating Speed - 22.44 MPH - Kucherov's speed is sticking around despite him being in his 30s, his max speed placed in the 61st percentile.
Total Miles Skated - 244.04 - Kucherov's total is nearly double the league average and placed in the 95th percentile.
Nikita Kucherov had a regular season to remember, as he nearly chased down McDavid for the Art Ross Trophy and once again made himself a finalist for the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award.