- Brandon Hagel calls Nikita Kucherov’s trade request a “different situation”
- Hagel says Kucherov loves Tampa Bay and will keep playing hard for the team
- Read below for Hagel’s full quote and where the Kucherov saga stands
Brandon Hagel isn’t treating Nikita Kucherov’s trade request like a betrayal.
The Lightning winger was asked about Kucherov after practice Monday and went out of his way to separate this situation from other trade demands around the league. Here’s what he said:
Hagel didn’t name anyone, but the comparison is easy to spot. Dylan Larkin signed an eight-year deal with Detroit in March 2023, asked for a trade in May and was suspended without pay last Thursday for refusing to play. Kucherov is in a very different spot.
He is in the final season of an eight-year contract with a $9.5 million cap hit and becomes a free agent July 1. He has told the Lightning he won’t re-sign, and Hagel pointed to how long Kucherov has given the franchise.
Kucherov explained his side Monday. He was asked why he wants out and pointed to how the organization has treated him, not the money. Check out his answer in his own words:
We went through the full breakdown of what he said and how the contract talks played out here.
Hagel made it clear the room isn’t worried about effort. He said Kucherov cares about his teammates and will keep coming out and playing as hard as ever, and he left the trade question to the front office, calling everything else “out of my pay grade.”
Kucherov has 18 points in 13 games this season. The Lightning host the Larkin-less Red Wings on Tuesday night.
