Nikita Kucherov has told the Tampa Bay Lightning he will not re-sign and has asked to be traded. The Lightning say it is not happening.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported the request Friday night, with TSN’s Chris Johnston reporting it within minutes and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan confirming it through her own sources. Kucherov and agent Dan Milstein made the request in a Friday meeting with general manager Julien BriseBois after extension talks stalled. Friedman noted that the exact reasons are unclear, and nobody has supplied one since.
What Tampa Bay Said
BriseBois did not hide behind a no-comment. He issued a statement Friday night: “We are aware of the media reports regarding the future of Nikita Kucherov with the Lightning.” Then came the part that matters: “We unequivocally have no intention of trading Nikita.”
Head coach Jon Cooper went further before Saturday’s game in Nashville, telling the Tampa Bay Times that “Kuch is 100% a part of this team” and that “he wants to be a part of this team for this season.” Cooper also acknowledged the other half of it. “What happens after our season is over, that’s Kuch’s right and he has earned that right for whatever happens.”
Milstein, asked Saturday whether his client would play, said: “Of course. He loves playing hockey. He will play while I will take care of the business side going forward.” He did not address the trade request itself and did not say it had been withdrawn.
Kucherov has not said a word publicly. He warmed up and played Saturday against the Predators.
The Contract Is the Whole Story
Kucherov, 33, is in the final season of the eight-year, $76 million extension he signed in July 2018. The $9.5 million cap hit was a bargain for most of that deal and is now one of the better values in the sport. He becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer at 34.
He is not without leverage, and he is not holding all of it either. His deal carries limited trade protection in the form of a 10-team approved list, and that list is not public. Any trade needs Tampa to want to make one and a team on his list willing to pay.
Whatever he signs next will not look like $9.5 million. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta projects $18 million to $20 million a year over five to seven years, and ESPN framed the raise as potentially more than double his current number. Those are projections, not offers.
He Is Not a Declining Asset
Kucherov won the Hart Trophy last season, his second, with 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points in 76 games. He has three Art Ross titles, in 2018-19, 2023-24 and 2024-25. He has 15 points in 12 games this season. He has 1,139 career points in 891 games, all with the franchise that drafted him 58th overall in 2011, and he recently passed Steven Stamkos as the Lightning’s all-time leading scorer.
He also has two Stanley Cups, from 2020 and 2021, which is more than most of the teams being floated as destinations can say.
Where This Goes
Nowhere, for now. Tampa Bay is 8-3-1 with 17 points through 12 games and sitting in a playoff position in the Atlantic. A team in that spot does not trade the best player in its history in October.
The names already circulating, Montreal first among them, are media speculation. No outlet has reported that any team has spoken to Tampa about him. The Canadiens have cap room and a coach in Martin St. Louis who used to be Kucherov’s teammate, which is the kind of tidy story that gets written whether or not a phone has actually rung.
The real deadline is next July. BriseBois can say no all season. He cannot say no on July 1.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
