Tons of amazing quotes about Nikita Kucherov in the Athletic’s article this morning (@JoeSmithNHL on X):

“The guy just does breathe different air. It’s just amazing to watch. Right now, call it what it is. Nobody is playing better in the league right now than him.”

- Eddie Olczyk

“He’s one of the best players, how he’s reading the game, how he moves the puck... Everyone think it looks slow. In the game, it’s so fast. Great timing all the time. Great hockey sense. I think everything he does is fun to watch.”

- Kirill Kaprizov

“His brain is at another level. McDavid is a special player, but bigger, faster, stronger doesn’t always translate to the best players. Kucherov’s speed is very underrated; his skating is very underrated. His ability to read plays and have the skill to make those plays makes him the special player he is.”

- Jeff Halpern

“He doesn’t skate like Connor (McDavid) does, but he does a lot of other things that some of these guys can’t do, right? I think if you ask players around the league, he’s probably one of the players that guys say that they enjoy watching because it’s not as obvious as blowing by someone on the ice or making a power move like MacKinnon. I mean, it’s kind of like an art.”

- Steven Stamkos

“He possesses everything. He probably elects more to be a playmaker, But if you see him shoot the puck, if you see him turn on skating, he can move. So there’s really nothing he can’t do. The game can be chaotic, and he has that calming presence.”

- Zach Bogosian

Link to post: t.co/N8SaebRR5M