NHL prospects to watch in the 2023 NCAA hockey tournament

In an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Lysenkov for Sovetsky Sport, Nikita Kucherov offers a blunt analysis of why he had such a good season despite what he feels are failures by the Tampa Bay Lightning coaches and his teammates. Sergey Demidova, NHL.com reporter for the Russian language version of the site, translated some of the biggest points of contention Kucherov spoke of during the interview.

Brayden Point can navigate tight spaces better than anyone, and the Canadiens ought to have their hands full with the Lightning star.

Zboril has the size, the skating ability, the puck-moving instincts and the toughness to be a very good player for the Black and Gold, and he’s shown those in flashes over the last couple of years. There have also been questions about his work ethic, his approach to being a pro hockey player and just how much he’s going to maximize his potential as a player in the NHL. The good news is that he’s said many of the right things over the last couple of years since a rough first development camp, and he’s really shown an ability to elevate his game to excellent levels when the games matter most. It may be that Zboril ends up being trade bait for the Black and Gold given his talent, his standing as a prospect and the questions they may still have about him as an eventual finished product at the NHL level.