If the Toronto Maple Leafs push for Nikita Kucherov, TSN insider Darren Dreger expects the Tampa Bay Lightning to start the conversation with Auston Matthews. Dreger laid out that price on TSN 1050’s First Up, and Rinky Report shared his comments on X.
The ask, as Dreger described it, is for Auston Matthews. He then explained what follows if Toronto says no.
“If you’re talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs, maybe the ask is for Auston Matthews. If Julien BriseBois is seriously engaging, he’s going to ask for the other team’s best player. And if that isn’t going to get it done, which it probably wouldn’t, who’s the next best or third best? You’re talking about top young NHL players, up-and-comers like Easton Cowan, top prospects and draft picks.”
Dreger was describing a hypothetical asking price, not a demand from Tampa Bay. General manager Julien BriseBois said in an Oct. 30 statement, hours after Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported the trade request, that the Lightning “unequivocally have no intention of trading Nikita.” Neither team has commented on a potential package.
Nikita Kucherov’s contract and trade protection set the price
Nikita Kucherov is the reigning Hart Trophy winner and in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract with a $9.5 million cap hit. He can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and can be traded only to the 10 teams on his list. Friedman said on Saturday Headlines that he believes Toronto and Montreal are among the destinations Kucherov would consider.
Matthews is Toronto’s captain and first-line center, signed through 2027-28 at a $13.25 million AAV with a no-movement clause. Dreger’s point is that any return has to start with a player of that standing, which is what makes the rest of the package so expensive.
That shifts attention to Easton Cowan, who has 12 points in 13 games. Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka was asked on Oct. 26 whether Cowan was untradeable and said: “I don’t think any player is untradeable, but he’s a good player. He’s everything you’d want in a Toronto Maple Leaf.”
Draft picks and prospects would fill out the deal. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun wrote that the cost would run past Cowan and the first-round pick Toronto holds from Colorado, pointing to William Nylander or Kirill Marchenko instead.
Toronto could also wait for July 1 and sign Nikita Kucherov as a free agent without sending anything back. Any trade would still have to fit his $9.5 million hit under the cap for the rest of this season. The two teams do not meet again until Dec. 19 in Toronto.
Edited by Sonali Verma
