Jon Cooper Recalls When He Knew Kucherov Was Special

Lightning head coach Jon Cooper reflected on his earliest realization that Nikita Kucherov was a special player, pointing to the 2015 run to the Stanley Cup Final and the formation of the famed triplet line. Cooper admitted he may have been slow to see it, having sat Kucherov out for two games in the 2014 playoffs. Kucherov, then just 21, backed it up with 22 points in 26 games during that 2015 postseason.

No named reporter found in the source

In this story

• NikitaKucherov

Sources

• @Gabby_Shirley_ Jon Cooper on his earliest realization that Nikita Kucherov is a special player: “Oh, maybe how dumb I was because I sat him out for two games in the 2014 playoffs. I think his coming out party was the next year when we made that run to the final in 2015. It was the formation of… View on X