- Nikita Kucherov told the Lightning he won’t re-sign and wants to be traded
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman broke the news on Friday
- Read below for what Kucherov told his teammates and where his contract stands
Nikita Kucherov wants out of Tampa Bay.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Friday that the reigning Hart Trophy winner has informed both his teammates and the Lightning organization that he will not re-sign and would like to be traded.
Friedman explained how much the news caught the hockey world off guard.
“For most of us, Kucherov staying in Tampa seemed like an absolute certainty. Obviously, we were wrong about that. Who knows where we go by the trade deadline and July 1, but Kucherov has made it clear he is not happy and, at this time, prefers another path.”
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun followed with the meeting that made it official. Kucherov and his agent, Dan Milstein, sat down with Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois to say the star winger is asking for a trade, and Kucherov then told his teammates on the plane. LeBrun credited Friedman with the news first.
Check out LeBrun’s post:
The Lightning were already on their way to Nashville for Saturday’s game.
Kucherov is 33 and in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract that carries a $9.5 million cap hit. He becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027. Reports say he has a modified no-trade clause with a 10-team list, so he would have a say in where he lands.
Our own breaking tweet has the contract numbers, and it makes clear that the reasons behind the request have not been made public:
The timing is jarring. Kucherov passed Steven Stamkos last week to become the Lightning’s all-time points leader, and he has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 12 games as Tampa Bay sits at 8-3-1.
Neither Kucherov nor the Lightning had commented publicly as of Friday evening. Tampa Bay faces the Predators in Nashville on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
