Nikita Kucherov may be more of an offseason thing
TSN: Chris Johnston said that a Nikita Kucherov move is more of an offseason type move. He’s put up five assists in the two games since his news got out. Things should now start quieting down and fade into the background.
“I don’t anticipate that’s something is going to happen unless something really goes off the table. At this point in time, I don’t think that going to happen. I think he’s going to play out the year in Tampa, and this will be something we’ll be talking about heading into the offseason.”
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Was this all part of Julian BriseBois plan?
The Sheet with Jeff Marek: Greg Wyshynski wonders if the Nikita Kucherov situation was all part of the GM Julian BriseBois’. A kind of conspiracy theory.
“BriseBois, who has shown a propensity for moving on from aging players, wanted to move on from Kucherov. Felt that, that might not be tenable because how do you trade an MVP?
And so he stopped talking to him, and didn’t flatter him, and played a little psychological warfare with him until Kucherov hit his breaking point, and his reactionary agent hit his breaking point. And then they both said, “That’s it, we’re not coming back. Trade us right effing now.
Julian Breezebois’ inception was complete in the sense that he is not trading Nikita Kucherov. He is trading a Nikita Kucherov who was asked for a trade.
I asked one former Lightning player about this, and he said ‘I wouldn’t put it past him,’ about BriseBose. Which I think was a great answer.
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Then I asked an NHL executive, and they told me, “Yeah, I don’t buy that. Julian has always had a price, and will grind you down to get it, and then he’ll walk to the free agency and have them decide what they want. Have them decide they want to stay for that price.’”
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