“There’s no way the Lightning would trade Nikita Kucherov to a division rival.”

Félix Forget
“There’s no way the Lightning would trade Nikita Kucherov to a division rival.”
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Nikita Kucherov is the name on everyone's lips in the NHL right now. We learned last night that the Russian asked the Lightning to trade him… which took just about everyone by surprise.

We knew his contract was expiring and he didn't have a new deal in the works… but that didn't necessarily suggest such an outcome.

And of course, the big question is which team Kucherov will continue his career with. Many clubs right now are dreaming of having the Russian join their ranks.

Since yesterday, the Canadiens have been in the spotlight regarding this situation. The connections to Martin St-Louis are easy to make, and there are credible sources throughout the league who have been linking Kucherov to the Habs for quite some time now.

And Pierre LeBrun, in an article for The Athletic, also specifically mentioned the Canadiens as a team that is likely among the Russian's preferred destinations. Except that the insider was quite clear on one thing: in his view, there's no chance the Lightning will trade Kucherov to a division rival. And that makes sense, let's face it.

Of course, it's possible to see this as a bad sign for the Canadiens' hopes in this situation. But even if it complicates things for the club, there's another possible scenario… which LeBrun actually mentions.

After all, Kucherov has clearly told the Lightning that he has no intention of signing a new contract in Tampa Bay. And the team, at this point, is adamant that it doesn't want to trade its superstar.

So one might wonder if there's a scenario in which the Lightning—who are aiming to win this season—decide to keep Kucherov as a loan player. And in such a scenario, the Habs would become a major contender to sign him as a free agent (whether on July 1 or via a trade for his rights, much like Darren Raddysh last summer).

Obviously, a lot of things would have to fall into place for the Habs to acquire him that way. Kucherov will have to be open to finishing the year in Tampa Bay (he doesn't want to go on strike right now, but what if the situation drags on?), and the Lightning will have to be open to losing their Russian superstar for nothing (or almost nothing, in the case of a trade for his rights) at the end of the season.

For an aging team that could benefit from a rejuvenation to extend its window of opportunity, losing Kucherov for nothing would be a pretty tough blow. We'll see how Julien BriseBois handles this thorny issue now.


In a Nutshell

– He won't play tonight, but he looks very close to a return.

– Interesting.

– A big name to keep an eye on.

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