Where Nikita Kucherov would land if the Tampa Bay Lightning agreed to trade him was the NHL’s biggest question mark this weekend. On Friday, it was revealed that Kucherov told the team he wouldn’t re-sign and wanted to be traded. By Saturday, everyone was talking about possible trade options, with NHL insider Elliotte Friedman noting that the Toronto Maple Leafs were among the two Canadian teams Kucherov might be open to joining.
According to another insider, the Maple Leafs are a reasonable landing spot, but the when and the who matter more than the why.
Maple Leafs Might Have To Wait Until Free Agency
According to TSN Insider Darren Dreger, “There’s no reason to believe Nikita Kucherov wouldn’t be open to a trade to the Maple Leafs, but the Lightning’s asking price for Toronto or any other team would be SIGNIFICANT.”
He explains:
“I think it would be a lot simpler to do it in the offseason. What is the return for Nikita Kucherov? It’s all of the above. Top players from your NHL roster. If you’re talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs, maybe the ask is for Auston Matthews.”
That feels like a non-starter.
Why Wait Until Free Agency?
Any team considering a Kucherov trade has to be prepared to give up a massive haul. For the Maple Leafs, the juice might not be worth the squeeze.
Dreger notes:
“If Julien BriseBois is seriously engaging, he’s going to ask for the other team’s best player. And if that isn’t going to get it done, which it probably wouldn’t, who’s the next best or third best? You’re talking about top young NHL players, up-and-comers like Easton Cowan, top prospects and draft picks.”
Toronto is not trading Matthews for Kucherov. Moving their captain, who is also a center, for a 33-year-old winger—despite Kucherov being a top-five NHL talent—makes little sense. Plus, you need centers to play with the wingers you add.
A backup plan to move Cowan or top prospects is more likely, but a salary-cap issue remains that only gets solved if Toronto moves a big piece off the roster. Who would that be? If the Lightning are looking for Matthews, it’s not like they’d be willing to take Morgan Rielly as a consolation prize. It would be William Nylander.
Would Toronto Do Nylander for Kucherov?
A Nylander-for-Kucherov trade gets more interesting. The numbers work for Tampa, but it’s a risk for Toronto. Both are right-wingers. The Lightning could justify the move because Nylander will be $8.5 million cheaper to retain than Kucherov, and he’s three years younger.
Nylander does have a full no-move clause in his deal, but if asked if he’d be open to moving to a place like Tampa, it might not be that difficult a sell.
In the end, perhaps it’s best the Maple Leafs throw their hat into the ring when July 1 rolls around and everyone can take a shot at Kucherov without having to worry about what goes back in a trade.
Maple Leafs Could Lose Top Star In Kucherov Trade, Per NHL Insider