Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic joined Glenn Schiiler on SportsCentre to discuss the Tampa Bay Lightning–Nikita Kucherov situation. How did we get here, and what are the ramifications throughout the NHL?
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Tampa Bay Lightning Forward Nikita Kucherov Asks for a Trade
Glenn Schiiler: “For more on this massive story, let’s bring in our NHL insider Pierre LeBrun. So Nikita Kucherov informing Tampa that he will not re-sign and has requested a trade. Pierre, Julian BriseBois releasing a statement that he has no intention of trading Kucherov. So how did we get to the point where the reigning Hart-Trophy winner wants out of Tampa, and the Lightning are unwilling to move him?”
Pierre LeBrun: “Yeah. Well, first, Glenn, let me add that I reached out to Kucherov’s agent Dan Milstein moments after that statement from Julien BriseBois came out to get his reaction to that. And Milstein, who has declined comment all day long since this story broke.
He did say this to me that Nikita has informed all parties involved of what’s happening here, and that’s all Dan Milstein wanted to say. I.e., Nikita Kucherov’s not messing around. This is not a ploy. It would appear from the player and the agent, but it’s messy now because the team says they don’t want to trade him.
How do we get here? Well, you start with the fact that he’s a pending UFA, and most people around the league, quite frankly, were surprised when the NHL season started and the reigning Hart Trophy winner wasn’t signed to an extension. Everyone thought that would be done by the time the puck dropped on this season. It hasn’t.
Tampa Bay Lightning Forward Nikita Kucherov Asks for a Trade
My colleague Chris Johnston has reported that Kucherov asked for six years and $20 million a year, as he probably should in this new NHL landscape, but we also know that Tampa runs a really tight salary cap, and they’re not scared to make tough decisions. Look at the way Steven Stamkos left the Tampa Bay Lightning. So a messy situation, and certainly far from resolved.
Schiiler: “Yeah, and whenever you get a superstar asking for a trade, Pierre, it’s going to send shockwaves around the league. So, what’s been the reaction from the league’s power brokers?”
LeBrun: “Yeah, I heard from several NHL GMs this evening, and the word “stunned” is the word that was used the most often in messages from other GMs around the league. No one saw this coming. Everyone expected Kucherov to be a Lightning for life, and so a lot of disbelief.
Frankly, one GM said he didn’t think the story was true until he checked on it to make sure. And it is hard to believe. But as another GM said to me, Glenn, this is the era officially now of player empowerment.
Should There Be Concern That Nikita Kucherov Doesn’t Have a Contract Extension?
From Brady Tkachuk to Quinn Hughes to Connor Hellebuyck to Dylan Larkin, players are taking their careers in their own hands. And this GM said to me, “We better get used to it, because this is how star players, a lot of them, are going to want to run things now, and we have to adjust accordingly.”
So interesting reaction there, but clearly a stunned reaction across the NHL to this bombshell news on this evening.
NHLRumors.com Note: As mentioned throughout the summer on NHLRumors.com, it was odd that this situation wasn’t resolved, given how the Tampa Bay Lightning like to handle their business. Again, the one exception was Steven Stamkos. But Kucherov felt they couldn’t bridge the gap and wouldn’t take less than market value, which is $20 million. Many thought this would have been done or resolved at some point during the season. Now the Lightning will have to assess how to keep their window open with a Kucherov trade package.
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