- Elliotte Friedman says teams believe Nikita Kucherov won’t sign anywhere before July 1
- Kucherov hasn’t submitted a list of teams he would extend with if the Lightning trade him
- Read below for Friedman’s full comments and what they mean for Kucherov trade suitors
Nikita Kucherov isn’t expected to sign a new contract with any team before July 1, even if the Lightning trade him.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman talked about Kucherov’s plans on Thursday’s 32 Thoughts podcast with Kyle Bukauskas. The two talked through Kucherov’s plans heading into free agency and whether a trade partner could lock him up.
“The impression sure is coming that he won’t sign anywhere until July 1,” Friedman said. “Right now, he hasn’t submitted a list of teams he would extend with if Tampa decided to trade him. I don’t know that that’s going to change.”
Friedman added that teams around the league are working off the same assumption. He also stopped short of calling it a lock.
“I think whatever happens here, whatever Tampa decides to do down the road, teams are certainly under the impression that he’s not going to sign before July 1,” Friedman said. “You never know what can change. That’s where we stand now.”
That changes the math for anyone calling Tampa Bay. A team that gives up real assets for Kucherov gets him for the rest of this season, then watches him test free agency with every other club in the league.
Kucherov already told the Lightning he won’t re-sign, and Pierre LeBrun reported Monday that he wants at least $20 million a year over six years. LeBrun also wrote about how big his market could be, with one NHL GM telling him that 31 teams will want Kucherov:
Kucherov explained his side Monday. He was asked why he told the team he won’t be back and pointed to how the organization handled him, not the money, in comments we covered earlier:
Tampa Bay has not changed its position. General manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement that the Lightning “unequivocally have no intention of trading Nikita.” Kucherov’s agent Dan Milstein said this week that it is “time to move on.”
Kucherov is in the final year of an eight-year, $76 million deal with a $9.5 million cap hit.
