Nikita Kucherov told the Lightning and his teammates on Friday that he won’t re-sign and wants a trade, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported. Lightning GM Julien BriseBois released a statement saying the franchise had no intention of trading Kucherov. The 33-year-old reigning MVP is in the last year of an eight-year, $76-million deal, carries a 10-team no-trade list and hits free agency July 1.
On Sportsnet’s Saturday Headlines segment tonight, Elliotte Friedman reported that Nikita Kucherov would entertain trades to either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens.
“I do believe that, if Tampa was going to trade him, and Montreal and Toronto could come up with a package Tampa would like, those are two teams among many he would consider,” said Friedman.
Friedman’s report about Kucherov entertaining a trade to two passionate Canadian hockey markets took social media by storm, and fans started speculating trade packages, salary cap problems of one team, and more.
“It would take McKenna + Or something along those lines. It would have to be a MASSIVE offer,” wrote @BoltsReview.
“As much as it would be awesome to have an MVP on the leafs, we need to improve the D more,” reasoned @HaTTrickTYL3R.
“Toronto might make sense. Marchenko is his boy,” reckons @jabfather.
“Slaf, Demidov, and Hage”, wrote Jcob1812 speculating the trade return going to Lightning.
“No way Hughes is paying a 33-year-old $20m, not with the young core taking less….,” wrote EPU2024.
“Kucherov to montreal would feed families honestly. the man already looks unstoppable in that helmet,” wrote @ChloeCrestel.
The Montreal Canadiens do look like the better fit on paper, but they are division rivals of the Tampa Bay Lightning (as are the Maple Leafs), and GM BriseBois will probably not want to trade his franchise star to a rival.
Nikita Kucherov’s agent shoots down idea of Lightning star taking Dylan Larkin route and refusing to play until traded
Pierre LeBrun raised a question of whether Nikita Kucherov would sit out the way Dylan Larkin has in Detroit, who after playing some games for the Red Wings was suspended without pay after saying he would not play until traded.
“Kucherov’s intention is to keep playing; I do wonder whether at some point he’ll decide to go the Dylan Larkin route and withhold his services if he wants to put more pressure on the organization,” wrote LeBrun in The Athletic.
Nikita Kucherov’s agent Dan Milstein responded to LeBrun’s thought on X.
“Unlikely,” wrote Milstein on X.
Later, LeBrun reported that Milstein has told him Kucherov plans to play for the Tampa Bay Lightning till the time the business is completed in the background.
“Of course,” said Milstein. “He loves playing hockey. He will play while I will take care of the business side going forward.”
Edited by Srihari Anand
