Lightning's Nikita Kucherov Captures Consecutive Art Ross Trophies

Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov continues his reign of terror over the NHL. In 77 games, he recorded 37 goals and 84 assists for 121 points. For the second consecutive season, Kucherov leads the league in scoring and will take home another Art Ross Trophy. This is the third Art Ross Trophy in Kucherov's career.

Kucherov has been one of the best players in the NHL since debuting with the Lightning. One of the best playmakers of his era, this year marked the third time in his career that he had recorded 80 assists or more. He's surpassed the 100-point plateau five times, including this year, amassing a whopping 994 points in just 882 NHL games.

This year's race was tight until the final few weeks of the season. Kucherov managed to record multi-point games eight times over his final 15, providing the cushion he needed to seal the scoring lead. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon was in pole position for most of the season, along with goal leader Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. Those two superstars were jockeying alongside Kucherov for months, but the Lightning MVP reigns supreme in 2025.

The Russian-born winger is in his prime, and the Lightning are trying to maximize. Tampa Bay has won two Stanley Cups already with Kucherov leading the way, but their sights are set on a third in 2025. With a talented group around their top player and starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was recently voted the best in the league by his peers, they have an excellent shot at another championship this year.

Luckily for the Lightning, Kucherov is arguably a better postseason performer than he is a regular-season player. When the Lightning won back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021, Kucherov recorded 66 points over 46 games. In total, he's produced 167 points in 147 NHL playoff games.