Over this past weekend, the hockey world was shocked when Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov reportedly requested a trade from the team he has played with for 14 seasons and nearly 900 games.
The three-time Art Ross Trophy winner and two-time Hart Trophy winner reportedly doesn't want to re-sign with the Lightning after contract extension talks stalled, with Kucherov seemingly not believing Tampa Bay can meet his demands.
On Monday, speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman explained that if Kucherov does leave, he would be looking for a purely hockey fit, specifically how certain aspects of a team run, like the power play.
Friedman pointed to the Detroit Red Wings as one example as Lucas Raymond could take one-timers from one side, as Kucherov once teed them up for his longtime teammate Steven Stamkos, and Moritz Seider could play the role of Darren Raddysh from the point.
The fit also works with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kucherov would have several one-timer options on the power play, including Auston Matthews, one of the league's best goal scorers, and other lethal shooters like William Nylander and Kirill Marchenko. He also wouldn't have to find someone like Raddysh on the blue line, as he could simply join him in Toronto.
The cost of adding a superstar and two-time Stanley Cup champion wouldn't be cheap, though, and it raises the question of what Toronto would have to give up, or how it could afford to pay him if it waited until free agency. With the Leafs already hard-pressed against the cap, a trade looks like the more likely route, since money would need to go out the door to make room for a major new contract.
Potential trade package for Kucherov features big pieces
The name Leafs fans may not want to hear is Easton Cowan, who is off to a thrilling start with 14 points in 16 games at just 21 years old. Tampa Bay would want a long-term asset in return so it doesn't lose Kucherov for nothing, and Cowan fits that mold.
In return, Toronto would be giving up one of its few young talents with upside outside of Gavin McKenna, but it would get a player who has surpassed 110 points in four straight seasons and is expected to clear that mark again, with 18 points in 13 games this season.
If Cowan isn't enough, Toronto has other assets, including Colorado's 2027 first-round pick, its own 2029 first and its own second-round picks over the next three seasons. However, the biggest obstacle would be cap management.
The Leafs would likely need to send out additional salary alongside Cowan, potentially including Jack Roslovic, who carries a $4 million cap hit, has no trade protection and could be sold high after a point-per-game start through 16 games.
They may also need to move the contracts of depth forwards like Max Domi and Dakota Joshua. Toronto has started the season well without either in the lineup, with Domi on long-term injured reserve and Joshua only recently back, and it has found other impact bottom-six forwards.
Joshua's $3.25 million cap hit could be moved elsewhere, though he has a 12-team no-trade list, and Domi's $3.75 million hit comes with a 13-team list. Miles Wood, who is in the AHL and was recently injured, carries a $2.5 million cap hit the Leafs would love to clear as well.
Moving out Cowan, Roslovic, Domi, Joshua and Wood would clear roughly $14.4 million, and the increased cap would give Toronto more room to work with. It would also mean realistically losing only two opening-night lineup players, Roslovic and Cowan. Toronto would land a massive superstar, while Tampa Bay would receive depth for the future in Cowan as well as picks and assets like potentially Roslovic, that they could keep or flip for more assets to bolster their current lineup.
Is it truly possible?
Of course, it's easier said than done as moving out that many players at once is rarely seen in the NHL, and Toronto would be sacrificing a major source of depth to fit in one superstar. The Leafs could soften the blow by turning to unsigned free agents like Vladimir Tarasenko and Jonathan Drouin, who could be added for a minimal cap hit if injuries arise.
If general manager John Chayka wants to take his biggest swing yet, he could make it work, but there are glaring hoops to jump through, and the deal may require too much of a roster teardown plus requires a Stanley Cup contender to part with one of their long-time franchise legends, which is also unlikely to happen.
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