Nikita Kucherov’s trade request has instantly turned the NHL rumor mill into a full-blown frenzy, and for Oilers fans, it created the kind of dream scenario that’s impossible to ignore.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Friday evening that the reigning MVP has told the Tampa Bay Lightning he will not re-sign there this offseason and has asked to be moved. It’s the latest stunning move in a stretch that has already seen 2025 Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck dealt to the New Jersey Devils after his trade request was fulfilled, and Dylan Larkin depart the Detroit Red Wings just days earlier.
Kucherov is the prize everyone will want. He has put up at least 121 points in each of the last three seasons, and at 33, he remains one of the league’s most dangerous players and one of the defining stars of his generation. Once news of his request broke, the obvious question popped up across the league: who can actually get involved?
For Edmonton, the answer looks pretty bleak.
Unlike Hellebuyck and Larkin, Kucherov does not carry a full no-trade clause. Instead, he has a ten-team-approved trade list, which gives Tampa Bay room to create a bidding war. That matters, because a player of this caliber is going to cost a massive haul, and any team giving up that kind of package will almost certainly want some kind of extension security in return.
There’s also the contract angle. Kucherov is headed for unrestricted free agency at the end of this season, and his next move could end up looking a lot like the Mikko Rantanen situation a few years ago when he was dealt from Carolina to Dallas.
If he wants leverage, he can use it. He could make it clear that he’d only be willing to extend with a very small group of teams.
That’s where the Oilers start to run into trouble.
The instinct is understandable. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nikita Kucherov in the same lineup is the kind of idea that will light up every Edmonton fan group chat in minutes.
But from a pure asset standpoint, the Oilers don’t look like a serious player here. There will be plenty of teams in on him, and most of them can offer Tampa Bay more.
Utah, for example, could put together an appealing package with a few strong young NHL players and elite prospects such as Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers. Montreal also looms as a team with the kind of offer Edmonton would struggle to match, and Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek has previously speculated that Kucherov would have interest in joining the Canadiens.
If this becomes a true ten-team race, the Oilers’ problem is simple: they don’t have the kind of centerpiece assets that would stand out. General manager Stan Bowman would be hard-pressed to match the sort of offers other contenders can build.
There are basically only two ways Edmonton ends up in the mix. One would be if Kucherov is dead set on joining forces with McDavid and Draisaitl and forces his way to Edmonton. The other would be if he makes it known he wants to go to July 1, and any acquiring team would be getting a pure rental.
Even then, the Oilers would have a tough time. A package built around Matt Savoie and whatever first-round picks Tampa Bay wants might sound interesting on paper, but it still may not be enough.
Edmonton does not have much in the way of trade assets that a team trying to stay competitive would covet, and most of the forwards who might otherwise be movable come with trade protection. Even adding someone like Vasiliy Podkolzin likely wouldn’t be enough to beat out a stronger offer.
So while the thought of Kucherov in an Oilers jersey is an electric one, it reads more like a fantasy than a realistic possibility. If he actually reaches July 1, the conversation gets a lot more interesting. Until then, Montreal, Utah and the other usual suspects around these kinds of blockbuster talks feel much more likely to land the soon-to-be former Lightning star.
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Dylan Larkins situation in Detroit only adds to the sense that this could become a summer defined by movement at the top of the forward market. He is currently sitting out and suspended without pay while awaiting a trade after submitting a request with a preferred list of teams, a reminder that even established names can force their way into the center of the rumor mill. For Oilers fans, the question is no longer whether big names might become available, but which ones could realistically shake loose and how aggressively Edmonton would have to pursue them. [Read more 🡒]
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Brennan Othmann is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury, while Connor Zary of the AHL's Calgary Wranglers is week-to-week after knee surgery. For the Oilers, the immediate concern is less about the injury report itself than the ripple effect it can have on a division rival, especially if Calgary has to shuffle its depth and crease plans for the near future. [Read more 🡒]