Tonight, Elliotte Friedman dropped an absolute bomb on the entire hockey world. He reported that Tampa Bay Lightning's star Nikita Kucherov has told both the organization and his teammates that he will not be re-signing and has requested a trade.
This is just another edition of a star player wanting out of an organization. However, this one comes as a bit more of a shock considering how good the club has been for the past decade. Now that the news is out, every team in the NHL wants him, but only 21 teams can trade for him due to his 10-team no-trade clause. If the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of those 21 teams, they need to pay whatever the asking price is to land him.
John Chayka needs to pull off another blockbuster for Nikita Kucherov
It's not every day that one of the best passers in the entire NHL is available, but today is one of those days. Aside from Connor McDavid, Kucherov is by far the second best passer in the league and would look very good beside Auston Matthews on the Maple Leafs' top line.
The biggest question is, what is the asking price? Well, at this time no one truly knows, but it is safe to assume that it would be a lot. If Leafs Nation knows John Chayka, he will be making the necessary calls to try and land him and should pay whatever he needs to acquire him.
That could mean that one of Easton Cowan or Gavin McKenna is part of the deal, which would be insane to think about. However, it is Kucherov, a top three scorer in the NHL and a multiple-time Stanley Cup winner, who is a multiple-time Stanley Cup winner. Plus, the goal is to win now, which he would help with. That said, it is very unlikely that Toronto parts with either of those players; instead, they'd most likely try moving other pieces. The hard part for this trade is leverage; Tampa will think they have it, but ultimately, they don't. The only positive for them is they have a wide spectrum of teams to deal with, so they can pick the best trade offer for him.
Outside of that, Kucherov is a UFA at the end of the season, so he is either going to be traded or wal for free. Which will stop some teams, like Toronto, from sending an A-level prospect unless a contract extension is in place. Which could mean it is a big trade package but doesn't include Cowan or McKenna but Ben Danford as one of the main assets instead.
Additionally, Toronto would need to clear cap space, which means that they could include a player who makes a significant amount of money like Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He is being used as a third pairing defender on the Maple Leafs but could be a top pairing in Tampa, playing alongside Victor Hedman.
Regardless of who is included, the Maple Leafs need to find a way to get it done. Obviously, right now it is too hard to predict a trade package, or even what the Lightning would be asking for in return. But it is safe to say that if Toronto is the team that lands him, it's going to be costly; you just hope it isn't a situation where they mortgage the future for a rental.
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