The Edmonton Oilers already took a major swing in their pursuit of Mikko Rantanen. If they’re willing to chase that kind of star power, then Nikita Kucherov has to be on the board too.
A deal for Kucherov would be messy, expensive and loaded with moving parts. But the fit is obvious enough to make the idea hard to shake: imagine him sliding in next to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
The proposed framework would send Kucherov to Edmonton and bring Matthew Savoie, Edmonton’s 2028 and 2029 first-round picks, its 2027 second-round pick and the 2028 third-round pick acquired from St. Louis to Tampa Bay. There’s one major catch built into the proposal: Kucherov would need to sign an extension as part of the transaction, with the term and salary worked out before the Oilers commit.
That structure lines up with what Dallas just did with Rantanen. The Stars landed him from Carolina for Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks and two third-rounders, then locked him into an eight-year extension. Edmonton’s version follows the same basic logic: a young forward, premium draft capital and extra picks layered on top.
Ryan Rishaug reported that Edmonton was “well down the path of an extension” with Rantanen before the trade fell apart because the assets weren’t there to finish the job. The Oilers clearly made the push. Once that door opened, Kucherov becomes the next name worth exploring.
There’s also a reason this idea has traction beyond pure star-chasing. Emily Kaplan’s destination reporting suggests Kucherov wants another superstar beside him, and Edmonton can offer three. His reported 10-team approved trade list gives him real control over where this goes, though the Oilers have not been confirmed as one of those destinations.
On the ice, the appeal is easy to see. Kucherov could tilt defensive attention toward McDavid, or he could give Draisaitl another elite playmaker to feed off. His patience with the puck would fit with their finishing, and if those three are spread across two lines, Edmonton gets a lot harder to handle.
Tampa Bay, of course, is the biggest obstacle. Savoie would give the Lightning a young offensive piece, and the picks could help restock the pipeline or be flipped in other deals. That kind of flexibility matters if the day ever comes when moving Kucherov becomes unavoidable.
Still, there are reasons to wonder whether that package is enough. Savoie is not automatically the same kind of centerpiece as Stankoven, and late first-round picks are never a sure thing.
The Lightning could easily ask for more. And then there’s the public stance from Julien BriseBois, who has said Tampa Bay has “no intention of trading” Kucherov.
So this stays in hypothetical territory.
The extension is the other half of the equation. Kucherov is 33, which makes both the length and the money absolutely central to the deal.
Paying this kind of price for several productive seasons is one thing. Paying it for a short playoff burst is another.
Cap space would be a problem too. Replacing Savoie’s $886,666 hit with Kucherov’s $9.5 million would add about $8.61 million to Edmonton’s payroll before anything else gets done.
That means another move, such as dealing Jake Walman or Tristan Jarry, would likely have to help make the math work. Neither should be treated as automatic, especially with Walman holding full no-movement protection.
And even then, the Oilers would still have to figure out replacement players, any retained salary and the future cost of the extension. One trade may not be enough to create the room they need, and paying another team to take money could make the whole thing even pricier.
So yes, the answer is still yes - if the extension makes sense and the cap gymnastics don’t gut the rest of the roster. The return is defensible for a player of Kucherov’s caliber. The hard part is making every other piece of the puzzle fit.
In Other News...
Kucherov Just Put The Lightning In A Spot Fans Dread
Nikita Kucherovs trade request has landed the Lightning in the kind of uncomfortable place teams try to avoid with a franchise player. The situation appears tied to his dissatisfaction with the pace of contract negotiations, and while Tampa Bay has not rushed into anything, the fact that players and former teammates have already acknowledged the request has made it impossible to treat this like routine offseason noise.
For now, the Lightning are said to be waiting and hoping Kucherov changes his mind, which is about as delicate a holding pattern as a contender can face. If the talks do not move, the next step becomes far more complicated, especially with a player of his stature and with interested clubs already being mentioned around the league. [Read more 🡒]