Being considered a "star" in any professional sport can be considered both a blessing and a burden. The spotlight is always on you and you are the topic of most, if not all, conversations regarding your team.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are fortunate to have more than one star-caliber player on their talented roster. Two of those individuals, Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, just so happen to play on the same line.
Stamkos is having himself quite the comeback season after being sidelined most of last year. He leads the entire National Hockey League in points with 24 in 14 games and shows no signs of slowing down. The same can be said about Kucherov who currently leads the league in goals with 13 and is only three points behind his linemate.
Having that much firepower on one line gives the Lightning an incredible advantage and is a key reason for their early season success. However, with the spotlight shining on Stamkos and Kucherov, another Lightning player's production seems to be quietly flying under the radar.
Believe it or not, but a forward line is actually made up of three individuals. So although Kucherov and Stamkos tend to steal the show, there is another forward on the ice with them and he is having a pretty good start to the season as well.
That individual goes by the name of Vladislav Namestnikov.
The Tampa Bay Lightning selected Namestnikov in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and he has played games in five seasons for the Bolts. Although he has shown signs of being an effective forward for the Lightning the past two seasons, it appears that this year may be his coming out party.
Skating on the first line with Stamkos and Kucherov, Namestnikov has recorded five goals and eight assists in 14 games. His 13 points are currently the fourth most on the Lightning roster and he is already only 15 points behind his last season total.
Now, playing on a line with two of the league's best players will definitely help inflate your stats a bit. However, the skill that Namestnikov is demonstrating every time he takes to the ice cannot be ignored. He is proving to be a valuable member of this Bolts' roster and forces the opposition to account for every forward on Tampa's top line.
There is no denying that Stamkos and Kucherov could both produce historic numbers this season and they deserve all of the attention they get. However, it would be wise to also keep your eyes on the third man on the line.