Nikita Kucherov’s next move may have been nudged into the open by the person closest to his contract situation.
On DFO Insider, agent Dan Milstein spent time praising the Montreal Canadiens’ core and the way GM Kent Hughes has assembled the roster. That alone was enough to get attention, because Montreal has built a reputation around team-friendly deals and a salary structure that leaves room to maneuver. Milstein seemed to suggest Kucherov could fit into that picture.
He specifically pointed to the Canadiens’ contract setup and said it creates space for one or two more star players. When hosts Jeff Marek and David Pagnotta pressed him on whether there was something more to read into the comment, Milstein appeared to realize what he had said and tried to backtrack.
This seems to have gone under the radar but perhaps Dan Millstein with a Freudian slip here? 😜 #Demidov #Kucherov #NHL pic.twitter.com/JtbjsIahYI
- Joël 📝📺🎙️ (@RiseFromTheAshZ) November 6, 2026
Milstein is no stranger to speaking out on behalf of his clients. He regularly comments publicly, whether that means pushing back on inaccurate reports or weighing in on their situations. In this case, though, he seemed to have to clean up his own words.
The idea isn’t without some financial logic. Montreal is projected to have around $29 million in cap space next season.
If Kucherov lands at the reported asking price of $20 million per year, that would still leave the Canadiens with about $9 million to work with. And if he were willing to shave a little off that number - he has said it was never about money with the Tampa Bay Lightning - it would line up with the kind of mindset that has defined much of the Canadiens’ roster.
The message there is simple: everyone does their part to help the team win. A 34-year-old Kucherov would be expected to think that way, too.
The Canadiens could also have even more flexibility depending on what happens with Phillip Danault, Josh Anderson, Chris Kreider and Alexandre Carrier. If those names all move on, the room opens up even further. If some of them stay on team-friendly deals, Montreal could still make the math work for just about anyone.
But there’s a catch.
If the Canadiens decide to go after Kucherov in a big way, it would alter the team’s pay scale in a major way. Captain Nick Suzuki is at $7.875 million, Cole Caufield makes slightly less, and both Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson are under $10 million. A deal that pays Kucherov more than twice what the captain makes could create real complications in the locker room and in future negotiations with the young core.
That’s the tension here. Kucherov doesn’t look like someone ready to take a massive discount, which means Montreal would have to decide how far it’s willing to stretch its structure to get him. Still, Milstein’s comments suggest the possibility is already on the table.
In Other News...
Canadiens Face One Big Kucherov Question Fans Wont Ignore
Nikita Kucherovs trade request out of Tampa Bay has already become one of the summers most intriguing leaguewide storylines, and Montreal has naturally found its way into the conversation. With the winger entering the final year of his contract, the Lightning are in control of the process for now, which means any serious pursuit would have to navigate both Tampa Bays asking price and a market that figures to heat up quickly.
The Canadiens have been mentioned as a possible suitor, which alone is enough to get attention in Montreal given the kind of impact a player like Kucherov would have. But this is still very much a speculative situation, and the reality is that several teams are expected to be in the mix while the Lightning decide how to handle the trade process. For Canadiens fans, it is the kind of name worth watching closely, even if the road to a deal remains anything but simple. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have Fans Watching Detroit For One Big Reason
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The names floating around are Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson, but the rest is still very much in the rumor stage. Edvinsson is reportedly seeking a trade, while Larkin may be open to broadening his options, yet there has been no confirmation of talks or even a meeting between Gorton and Detroit officials, which leaves the whole situation hanging in the kind of uncertainty that usually keeps fans refreshing their feeds. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Finally Have Hope On Key Injuries Including Demidov
The Canadiens got a small but meaningful sign of progress on the injury front this week, with Ivan Demidov, Samuel Montembeault and Mike Matheson all taking part in on-ice recovery sessions as they work their way back. For a team that has been waiting on key pieces to get healthy, seeing that trio back on skates at least nudges the picture in a better direction and gives Montreal a little more reason to believe help is coming.
Demidovs return had already been pushed beyond the original target date, and the earliest realistic window now points to mid-November. The bigger takeaway for the Canadiens is that all three players appear to be moving toward a return before the end of the month, which would give Martin St. Louis more flexibility in a stretch where every lineup decision has mattered. [Read more 🡒]