Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov are suddenly at the center of a wild summer prediction, and the Montreal Canadiens may be watching closely.
Jonny Lazarus thinks Tampa Bay could end up moving both stars, with Kucherov finishing the season before any decision is made and Vasilevskiy following in the summer. The idea lines up with what was reported yesterday, when an NHL source said Kucherov’s lost trust in the Lightning had created concern inside the locker room. Pierre LeBrun also said the Canadiens would be in the mix.
For Montreal, Kucherov is the name that jumps off the page. He is not being framed here as an aging veteran on the way out; he has 18 points in 13 games this season and 1,142 career points.
Tampa Bay, though, is not behaving like a team in full teardown mode. The Lightning are 8-3-2 and sit ninth in the NHL.
They have not lost at home, but the road has been a different story. Away from Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay is 2-3-2, including Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss in Nashville.
Lazarus’ read is that any major change waits until the offseason. That leaves room for the situation to keep developing, and it makes LeBrun’s mention of Montreal as a possible Kucherov destination even more intriguing, especially with Martin St-Louis’ relationship in the mix.
Vasilevskiy is the other name that could shake up the league. At 32, with 608 career games, he would instantly become one of the biggest trade stories in hockey if he were made available.
The contract details are a big part of why Lazarus sees it happening. Vasilevskiy has a modified 10-team no-trade list and one year left on his deal after this season. His cap hit is $9.5 million, the same number attached to Kucherov, whose contract expires at the end of this season.
As Lazarus put it: "I do think Kucherov finishes the year with Tampa, and honestly, they end up trading Vasilevskiy this summer too. I think they trade Vasilevskiy this summer also, though, because he’s got that same thing going on next year.
He’s got that 10-team modified list, making $9.5M, and he’s got 1 year left after this year. It’s like, alright, those two gave us everything, now we got to move on."
In Other News...
Canadiens Bench Had A Telling Reaction To Arber Xhekajs Fight
Arber Xhekaj gave the Canadiens bench a jolt during their game against the Winnipeg Jets when he came out on top in a fight, and the reaction behind him said plenty about how much the moment meant in the room. Montreals players were quick to celebrate the scrap, with the entire bench acknowledging Xhekaj afterward as the game carried on.
Even Jacob Fowler joined in on the congratulations, a small but telling snapshot of the energy Xhekaj can bring to a lineup that was still trying to close out the night. The Canadiens did not finish the job, though, as Winnipeg stormed back late to force overtime and then won it there, leaving Montreal to turn the page quickly with Utah next on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Turned A Comfortable Win Into A Serious Warning Sign
For most of the night, Montreal looked set to walk away with a comfortable road win, with Jacob Fowler turning aside 42 of 47 shots and Josh Anderson adding to his scoring streak. The Canadiens had built a four-goal cushion late in the third period and were in position to bank two points before the game took a sharp turn.
Instead, Winnipeg kept pushing and found a way back into it, turning what should have been a tidy finish into a stressful finish for Montreal. The Canadiens still earned a point, but the way the lead slipped away leaves a much bigger question hanging over a team that had control until the very end. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Fowler Has Montreal Dreaming Bigger Than Just A Hot Start
Jacob Fowlers first month in the NHL has done more than steady the crease for Montreal. It has given the Canadiens a rookie goaltender who looks every bit like a legitimate early-season force, with an 7-1-0 start, a 1.84 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage through eight games. For a team that has spent years searching for stability in net, Fowlers arrival has quickly turned into one of the more encouraging storylines on the roster.
The bigger conversation now is whether this kind of beginning can carry all the way into the Calder Trophy race, where goaltenders rarely get enough traction to win. Fowler is already being mentioned among the leagues top rookies, but the path to staying there is a long one, demanding both elite play and good health from here on out. Montreal can enjoy the hot start for now, even if the real test is still to come. [Read more 🡒]