The Nikita Kucherov noise is already starting to swirl, and Tampa Bay’s front office sits right in the middle of it.
Greg Wyshynski of ESPN pointed to a familiar pressure point for Lightning GM Julian BriseBois: what a potential Kucherov extension would do to the team’s salary structure and cap flexibility. BriseBois has shown before that he’s willing to move on from players who want major commitments in term and money - Steven Stamkos, Alex Killorn, and Yanni Gourde are the examples that keep coming up. He has also said he has no intention of trading Kucherov, though that doesn’t shut the door completely.
If Kucherov ever did become available through trade or free agency, a few teams would immediately get tossed into the conversation.
Montreal is one of them. The Canadiens already have several strong players on good contracts, and while they may need a center more than another winger, there’s room to make exceptions. One idea floated was a three-team deal in which Dylan Larkin goes to Tampa, Kucherov lands in Montreal, and the Red Wings receive a Canadiens package.
Utah is another possible fit. Kucherov is good friends with Mikhail Sergachev, and he could slot in beside Clayton Keller or Logan Cooley.
Vegas would also be in the mix in theory, but the cap gymnastics would be brutal. They’d have to find a way to bury a lot of salary.
Dallas has a cleaner path than most, at least on paper. The Stars have just under $22 million coming off the books with Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin, although it’s still unclear how the Robertson contract talks will play out.
The Rangers could be a factor too if they keep speeding up their retool or rebuild. They’d have the cap space, and there’s the added Russian connection with Igor Shesterkin.
Chicago is on the list as well, though it would take some convincing to get Kucherov to sign there given how the rebuild has taken longer than expected. The Blackhawks do have young players that could interest Tampa in a trade.
For now, though, the sense is that this is more of an offseason storyline than a deadline one. The issue, as described, is with BriseBois.
The question is whether there’s any way the two sides can coexist. A trade before the deadline doesn’t sound likely, but moving his rights after the season is one possibility that’s being discussed.
Elsewhere, Nashville has a prospect ready to make the jump next season. Agent Dan Milstein said of Predators prospect Egor Surin: “At the conclusion of this year, he will be signing & joining the Nashville Predators.
They’re super excited to see him. Hopefully, if everything goes well with the big club at the beginning of next season.”
In Other News...
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What stands out most is how the Predators are starting to look less like a team riding a hot stretch and more like one with a real identity. They are playing with the kind of structure and confidence that can make them a problem for anyone in a playoff race, and the growing sense around the group is that this is not just a nice run in November. Nashville is beginning to look like a team nobody wants to draw when the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Stamkos Sounds Convinced The Predators Are Finally Starting To Click
Steven Stamkos has seen enough to believe the Predators are beginning to settle into something more sustainable under Andrew Brunette. The veteran forward pointed to the way Nashville is playing as a group, with new faces fitting into the system and the team leaning into the kind of hard forecheck and defensive structure Brunette wants.
The timing matters because the Predators have started stacking wins against some of the leagues better teams, a stretch that has helped build real momentum in the room. Stamkos read is that the pieces are coming together at the right time, with the teams overall buy-in showing up in the areas that usually decide whether a good start turns into something more. [Read more 🡒]