The Toronto Maple Leafs have been linked with a potential trade move for Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov after the 33-year-old Russian reportedly requested a trade in recent hours.
“It was never about the money for me. It was more about poor communication and respect,” Kucherov said, according to comments published on the NHL’s official website.
Some Maple Leafs fans are excited about the prospect of adding an elite player like Kucherov to head coach Jim Hiller’s roster.
However, several obstacles could stand in the way of such a move, and Nick Alberga and former Toronto player Jay Rosehill discussed this on Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff’s “The Leafs Morning Take.”
Although neither analyst questioned Kucherov’s quality as a player, both presented strong arguments for why they believe a move to Toronto is unlikely.
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Rosehill said, “As far as the Maple Leafs are concerned, personally, I don’t know if the… I’m not saying Kucherov has missed the boat or anything, but I don’t think I’m willing to give him six years at $20 million. That’s just, that’s just crazy.”
“That’s gonna catch up to you sooner than later. And for what you’d have to give up to get him, I just, man, he’s a special, phenomenal player, but I don’t see a fit for the Maple Leafs considering where the Maple Leafs show.”
“But I know there’s a lot of people starting to go deep into their rosters and pipelines and trying to figure out how they can get that guy on their roster, as he’s certainly special. But I don’t personally see it in the Leafs’ future whatsoever.”
Alberga said, referring to the previous show, “We talked about the fact that it’s got to make sense for a team that’s ready to win a Stanley Cup. I don’t think the Leafs are ready to win a Stanley Cup. I don’t think they’re anywhere close to winning a Stanley Cup.”
“And so you’re giving that type of guy that much money. It’s got to fit in the window. I think it’s more likely if this does happen that it’s like a July 1st signing. He gets to market, and he’s like, ‘I’m going to Toronto. I want to play with Bobrovsky. I want to play with Radish.’ But I don’t see a trade scenario.”
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