Andrei Vasilevskiy’s future in Tampa Bay may be worth watching, but for now the Lightning goaltender doesn’t sound like a player looking for an exit.
According to his shared agent, Dan Milstein, Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov are being treated as separate situations, and the goalie’s feelings about the organization are not the same as his teammate’s. Milstein said Vasilevskiy is extremely happy in Tampa Bay and wants to finish his career there. His target is to play 1,000 games for the Lightning.
Kucherov’s path, on the other hand, has become murkier. The winger also wanted to end his career in Tampa before contract talks went sideways.
General manager Julien BriseBois previously let Steven Stamkos leave, and Kucherov now appears to be trending toward free agency. If negotiations with Vasilevskiy ever turn sour, there’s no guarantee he won’t end up in a similar spot.
Evander Kane is also heading into a new chapter, just not in the NHL. Milstein said the 35-year-old forward is expected to sign with a Russian team, with the deal likely to be completed this week.
Kane had a couple of chances to stay in North America, but the market never really opened up for him after he became an unrestricted free agent. The 16-year NHL veteran spent last season with the Vancouver Canucks and posted 13 goals and 31 points in 71 games.
Injuries held him to only 21 games in 2024-25, and his time in Vancouver didn’t create much traction. A strong run in Russia could help him get back on NHL radars, but a return looks doubtful.
If Kucherov does eventually become available, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN listed seven possible landing spots: the Montreal Canadiens, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers.
New York stands out as the most intriguing of that group. Wyshynski pointed to the Rangers’ willingness to make bold moves even when the team seems to be heading into a retool.
He compared it to the club’s decision to sign Artemi Panarin after preparing its fan base for a tougher stretch. Kucherov would be older than Panarin was when he arrived, but the chance to pair another elite Russian winger with Igor Shesterkin could be tempting.
The Rangers also have salary-cap space next season, which gives them some room to chase a major name, though Kucherov’s age and contract demands would still matter.
The Toronto Maple Leafs could run into a different problem if they try to join that chase. PuckPedia’s Hart Levine said Toronto has only $648,000 in tagging room left, the lowest figure in the league.
Tagging room is the amount a team can commit to future seasons while still operating in the current one. Toronto’s number has been pushed down by offseason moves, including the acquisition of Kirill Marchenko and his $12.5-million-per-season extension.
That doesn’t make a Kucherov pursuit impossible, but it would make the extension side of the deal tricky. Any new contract would hit the Leafs’ tagging room right away, and even a July 1 signing with a massive salary would carry the issue into next season and move the pressure onto Auston Matthews.
In Other News...
Rangers Finally Delivered The Late Push Fans Had Been Waiting For
For a team that had been waiting on a timely finish, the Rangers finally gave Madison Square Garden one. New York trailed Philadelphia before finding its push in the third period, scoring twice to turn a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 win and give the home crowd the kind of late surge it has been hoping to see more often.
Dylan Garand backed it up with 23 saves, and the result also fit a broader trend the Rangers have been trying to build at home and against Metropolitan Division opponents. The comeback left the Flyers paying for a costly mistake, while the Rangers walked away with a win that felt like more than just two points. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Already Face An Uncomfortable Rick Tocchet Question
The Rangers have their own reasons to keep an eye on the Flyers early-season unease, because the broader NHL conversation around coaching and roster direction is starting to sound familiar in New York. With the 2026-27 season still taking shape, the focus around the league has shifted toward whether a teams problems are really about execution or something deeper in the way it was built and managed.
For the Rangers, that matters because the same kind of scrutiny can quickly land on a front office when results lag and the margin for error gets thin. The current chatter around Philadelphia, San Jose and New York is less about one bad week than about whether the people steering these teams have enough answers, and for the Rangers, that leaves a familiar question hanging over the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Young Forwards Are Giving This Team Real Reason For Hope
The Rangers have spent plenty of time looking for a younger core to grow into bigger roles, and there are real signs that the forward group is starting to answer. Will Cuylle has already shown he can finish, Alexis Lafrenire has settled into a top-line wing spot while leading the team in scoring, and Tye Kartye has added offense after coming over on waivers. Even Gabe Perreault, still working to establish himself on the roster, has brought the kind of pace and skill that keeps him in the conversation.
What makes this stretch encouraging is that it is not coming from one player carrying the load. Cuylles versatility, Lafrenires continued rise, Perreaults upside and Kartyes ability to chip in give the Rangers multiple paths to more scoring depth. For a team that has been searching for more long-term certainty up front, that kind of development is exactly the sort of thing that can change the outlook, even if the final shape of the group is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]