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Loading…Nikita Kucherov is one of the NHL's elite wingers: his 94.1 overall ranks 13th of 384 rated wingers on BluelineMetrics. That makes him the 2nd-highest-rated player on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster.
Offensive creation is where he wins, at 99, while defensive impact at 38 is the clear area to improve.
Over 12 rated seasons since 2013-14 he has averaged 96.3, peaking at 100 in 2016-17; last season's 98.9 was right in line with the year before.
At $9.5M through 2026-27 before unrestricted free agency, the model rates the deal Underpaid: his expected value is $16.8M, so the Tampa Bay Lightning save roughly $7.3M a season against his production.
His cap hit is the 3rd-largest on the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL roster and uses 9.1% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $3.66M in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 99 |
| Defense | 38 |
| Play driving | 90 |
| Finishing | 74 |
| Power play | 88 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | TBL | 76 | 98.9 | 2.8 |
| 2024-25 | TBL | 78 | 99.4 | 2.1 |
| 2023-24 | TBL | 81 | 99.1 | 2.8 |
| 2022-23 | TBL | 82 | 96 | 1.6 |
| 2021-22 | TBL | 47 | 93.4 | 1.7 |
| 2019-20 | TBL | 68 | 99.8 | 2.3 |
| 2018-19 | TBL | 82 | 99.4 | 2.4 |
| 2017-18 | TBL | 80 | 98.3 | 1.9 |
| 2016-17 | TBL | 74 | 100 | 2.4 |
| 2015-16 | TBL | 77 | 98.9 | 1.7 |
Other TBL wingers by rating: Brandon Hagel (93.9), Jake Guentzel (91.5), Pontus Holmberg (58), Gage Goncalves (51.1). See the full Tampa Bay Lightning cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.