Nikita Kucherov’s agent, Dan Milstein, confirmed that his client will continue playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning while his trade request situation is resolved. That said, one insider connected to the Edmonton Oilers believes that Milstein has already been working behind the scenes on a trade destination.
Bob Stauffer, the Oilers’ color commentator and host of Oilers Now, said during the second intermission of Saturday’s game between the New York Islanders and the Oilers that he believes Milstein already has a trade destination in mind for his client. Stauffer then subtly linked the Oilers and head coach Mike Babcock.
The Oilers for Kucherov?
“In the back of my mind, Gene, I think that Dan Milstein has a place already in mind for Nikita Kucherov. I don’t know what that place is, but Dan’s a very smart agent. By the way, a big fan of Mike Babcock’s, as well. So we’ll see where Kucherov goes. A lot of Russian players, by the way, end up in the New York area.”
Back in 2019, the Lightning reportedly explored a framework that would have sent Nikita Kucherov to Edmonton for Leon Draisaitl. The talks fell apart when the Oilers reportedly asked Tampa to include center Anthony Cirelli. The discussions came right after the Lightning were swept in four games by the Columbus Blue Jackets, and well before Draisaitl developed into the Hart Trophy-caliber star he is today.
The Rangers or Islanders for Kucherov?
The last sentence of Stauffer’s quote is interesting because, while Stauffer hinted at a connection between the agent and the Oilers coach, he also seemed to tease that Kucherov could wind up in New York. The Rangers would certainly be interested if Kucherov showed a desire to go there.
The Rangers and GM Chris Drury are active on blockbuster trades. They also have a ton of cap space for next season. They don’t have the space this year unless they trade someone like Adam Fox, but if they wait to try to sign Kucherov in free agency, the Rangers could make a legitimate swing.
Does Any Of This Matter?
While Kucherov and his agent might know what they want and they may have a spot picked out already, none of that really matters this season. The winger doesn’t have full control over this situation until free agency. On July 1, he can go where he wants. Before that, he can name only 10 teams unless he expands his list.
However, if Kucherov tells the Lightning that he’s only really thinking about one or two teams, they can potentially work the possibility of an early extension into their trade conversations. That’s real leverage the Lightning might need, as any other team that has no shot of signing Kucherov will only be willing to give up rental-size returns in a trade.
Should the Lightning actually give Milstein permission to speak with the team that Kucherov might want, that changes everything. To be clear, it does not sound like the Lightning are prepared to do so.
Nikita Kucherov’s Agent Already Has Team Lined Up [Report]