His general manager says a trade won't happen. His teammates surely want him to stick around. He's only known one team in his entire career. All of that suggests that the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nikita Kucherov will find a way to come to an agreement on a new contract. But if GM Julien Brisebois can't find a way to soothe the hurt feelings of the russian superstar, we might see one hell of a bidding war when the National Hockey League's trade deadline rolls around.
Kucherov may not have Connor McDavid's speed, or Nathan Mackinnon's strength on the puck, but the 33 year old right winger has been consistently elite over his entire career. He averages 105 points per season, including seven separate seasons where he has eclipsed the century mark. His 144 points in 2023-24 is behind only McDavid in terms of the highest production by an active player. And he has all the hardware, including Cups, Hart and Art Ross trophies.
Better as a rental
As amazing as Kucherov has been over his career, he'll be 34 years old when his next contract takes effect. He has some elite years left, but with the insane heights that NHL contracts have hit recently, a team signing the left shot Russian as an unrestricted free agent may find themselves with a $20 million plus anchor if the wheels do fall off in his late thirties. That sort of cap trouble is enough to close a championship window.
Currently, Kucherov makes $9.5 million, and while the recent NHL bargaining agreement did close some playoff salary loopholes, that is emminently more affordable and less risky as a short term pickup than the offseason option. Plus, in the Edmonton Oilers' case, adding Kucherov to this year's more defensively competent unit would add absurd luxury in terms of scoring depth. In past years, the Oilers have tried to outscore their problems. WIth Kucherov on board, they could likely do just that.
It would not be cheap. The Lightning know precisely what they're giving up, and what the team receiving Kucherov is likely to accomplish once he's on board. We're talking multiple first round picks, roster players and prospects going the other way. With the Oilers' lightly stocked draft pick cupboard, it'll be a long time paying such a trade off, but the upside is 100% worth it.
Edmonton may not even be on Kucherov's 10-team trade list, but if I were Stan Bowman, I'd still be calling.
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