Nikita Kucherov and the CH: “His connection with Martin St. Louis is undeniable”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Nikita Kucherov and the CH: “His connection with Martin St. Louis is undeniable”
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Nikita Kucherov in Montreal: Yes or no?

It would be hard to say no to a guy who's racked up more than 100 points per season for the past five years. It would be hard to say no to a guy who knows how to win and has the talent to single-handedly change the course of a game.

Especially if it costs nothing in terms of assets via free agency on July 1…

If Kucherov holds out until the free-agent market opens on July 1, 2027, the Canadiens are likely to be in the running to secure his services. At least, that's what Pierre LeBrun mentioned in a recent article (The Athletic).

And it makes sense… because Julien BriseBois doesn't want to trade him (especially not to an Atlantic Division team). 

But in the LeBrun article I'm referring to, there's one sentence that particularly interests me. It's this one:

The relationship between coach Martin St. Louis and Kucherov is undeniable. – Pierre LeBrun

LeBrun also goes on to say that the Montreal market would appeal to the Lightning player. And obviously, we can all agree that's pretty interesting.

Because Nikita Kucherov… well, he's still Nikita Kucherov. 

We know that St. Louis and Kucherov have a lot of respect for each other.

They played together in Tampa Bay, and the Russian had praised the Canadiens' star in 2018, when St. Louis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

These two know each other very, very well… and it goes even deeper than that.

Will the Canadiens manage to lure Nikita Kucherov to Montreal if he becomes available on the free-agent market in a few months? Maybe.

But the Habs have advantages that other teams don't, and the relationship between the player and the coach is one of them. Then there's the question of whether the Habs are interested in paying a 34-year-old player (he'll turn 34 next June) a completely exorbitant salary… because that's what will happen if the player is still asking for $20 million per season at that point.

To be continued.


In a nutshell

– It makes for a good show.

– I love it!

– Hehe.

– Oh, really?

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