Darren Raddysh didn’t exactly buy the first rumor he heard about Nikita Kucherov.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, who spent several seasons alongside Kucherov in Tampa Bay, said the idea that his former teammate wanted out of the Lightning caught him off guard. Speaking to Sportsnet.ca on Saturday after Toronto’s 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, Raddysh said, “I thought maybe it was April Fool’s Day,”
That reaction came after reports surfaced that Kucherov told the Lightning he would not re-sign and wanted a trade. Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois quickly pushed back, saying the team “unequivocally” has no intention of moving him.
Raddysh knows both sides of the equation well. He played parts of five seasons in Tampa Bay and had 22 goals in 2025-26, with 15 assists from Kucherov while they were together on the top power-play unit.
He didn’t sound interested in taking a hard line one way or the other.
“But, yeah, I know how he is, and I know how Julien is. And if they don’t want to come to something, that’s maybe how it’s going to go.
I wish nothing but the best for both of them, so hopefully, maybe they get something resolved. Or they move on.
But we’ll see.”
Raddysh also left the door open to a reunion in Toronto. When asked about the possibility of Kucherov joining the Maple Leafs, he said, “You know, I’d open my arms pretty wide to have him join.”
Kucherov is in the final season of his eight-year, $76 million contract, which carries a $9.5 million cap hit. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Chris Johnston of The Athletic reported that the winger is seeking a six-year extension worth $20 million annually.
For now, Kucherov remains in the lineup for Tampa Bay. He set up three of the Lightning’s four goals in Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators, and his agent, Dan Milstein, told TSN’s Pierre LeBrun that Kucherov will keep playing while the contract situation gets handled.
“He will play while I will take care of the business side going forward,” Milstein said.
Toronto and Montreal were among the teams Friedman mentioned as possible landing spots during his Saturday Headlines segment. Even so, BriseBois has continued to insist Tampa Bay does not plan to trade Kucherov.
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Leafs Turnover Problem Puts Hillers Plan Under The Spotlight
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Beyond the goalie picture, the bigger issue remains the one that has followed the Leafs into this matchup: turnovers. Hiller said the team has to clean that up if it wants a better result, and he also touched on Easton Cowans return to the top line as part of the broader lineup picture. It leaves Toronto with a familiar mix of urgency and uncertainty, with the details of how the night unfolds still to be sorted out. [Read more 🡒]