Kucherov Leaves Lightning No Easy Way Out

If you wanted to be scared out of your – well, really, really frightened this Halloween – the Tampa Bay Lightning had news break Friday night that sent shockwaves throughout the entire global world of hockey.

The National Hockey League’s reigning Hart Trophy winner, Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, has informed the franchise that he will not be re-signing with the team before becoming a free agent next summer, and has requested a trade, according to multiple sources.

“Nikita is an historically great player,” Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois said last month. “He’s not just one of the best players in the world right now; he’s maybe the best player in the world right now.

“He’s one of the best players ever.”

A similar message from the team was shared with the 19,092 fans in attendance on Thursday at Benchmark International Arena during a video tribute to Kucherov, as the team honored him during its game against Winnipeg for becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in points on Saturday in a game at Utah.

There are so many stunning aspects to this saga, not the least of which is that it is being reported that less than 24 hours after being figuratively embraced by the thousands in attendance of Thursday’s game, Kucherov stood up on the team plane heading towards Nashville for Saturday’s game, and informed his teammates that he would be requesting a trade.

As far as BriseBois is concerned, this matter isn’t for discussion.

“We are aware of the media reports regarding the future of Nikita Kucherov with the Lightning,” BriseBois said in a statement released late Friday. “We unequivocally have no intention of trading Nikita.”

All of this, somewhat, explains the demeanor that Kucherov showed on Thursday during the video tribute.

Every member of Bolts Nation knows Kucherov’s perpetually placid look, even during the most intense and joyous moments, but he appeared absolutely miserable during the tribute.

The impetus behind all of this has not been made explicitly clear, but it more than likely centers on his contract situation.

Kucherov is in the final season of an eight-year, $76M deal that he signed in 2018.

BriseBois expressed slight frustration prior to training camp that an extension had not been reached at that point.

“I have every reason to believe that (Kucherov) is going to remain an elite player well into his 30s,” BriseBois said of the 33-year-old. “That has been the mindset throughout these contract negotiations.

“Both parties, I know, would have preferred to have a deal (completed) and be able to put that behind us.

“We haven’t been able to do that.”

And now, that appears to be a moot point from the perspective of Kucherov and his agent Dan Milstein, both of whom reportedly met with BriseBois Friday.

Multiple financial hurdles evolved for BriseBois over the past several months, as it relates to Kucherov’s contract situation.

In July, Anaheim matched an $18M per season contract for Leo Carlsson, that Philadelphia had thrown at the center.

Carlsson not only hit paydirt, but so did uber-talented youngster Macklin Celebrini, who inked a deal worth $18,800,000 annually during this summer. However, the biggest headache for BriseBois occurred just weeks before training camp when Colorado signed defenseman Cale Makar to a contract paying him $20,400,000 annually.

“We’re going to keep the lines of communication open,” BriseBois said in September of speaking with Milstein. “With the goal remaining to get Nikita signed to a contract that’s going to keep him in Tampa for many years to come, (and) playing on a Stanley Cup contender throughout.”

Obviously, those lines became severed at some point int he past month.

With the salary cap growing to over $113M next season, Tampa Bay currently has a projected cap hit of nearly $84M.

Not only is Kucherov in the final season of his contract, but so are Lightning forwards Gage Goncalves, Pontus Holmberg, Dominic James, Zemgus Girgensons, Scott Sabourin, Conor Geekie, defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Emil Lileberg.

“Every team is in a different state in terms of their (Stanley Cup) cycle,” BriseBois said of managing the salary cap space moving forward. “In terms of where they fit. In terms of how quickly they think they compete for a Stanley Cup.

“Obviously, the market has evolved.”

For this season, Kucherov no longer has a full no-movement clause in his contract.

He has the ability to submit a list of 10 teams to which he would accept a trade. The Lightning are not able to trade him without his consent, and it seems as if BriseBois won’t be doing so in any event.

All of this puts not just BriseBois at the one of the most critical moments of his career, but also places the Lightning in a position in which it may alter its trajectory dramatically – one way or another.

“The (salary cap) has gone up tremendously over the last few years,” BriseBois said. “We know that it will continue to do so, and we are seeing it in some of the contracts that are being signed now that the market is adjusting.

“That’s a factor that I think everyone is taking into account in all of these negotiations right now.”

If you are having a difficult time processing all of this, you can probably paint BriseBois in the same light. His words last month led no one to believe that scenario was even remotely possible.

“I’m happy to see him happy, and in a great frame of mind,” BriseBois said of his star player. “He’s always been a player who cared tremendously about the success of the team and his teammates.

“He’s always been a very prideful player. I know that he is very much committed to showing everyone how special a player he is this season, and reminding us all how good of a player he is.”

It will be very interesting to watch how Lightning coach Jon Cooper and the rest of Kucherov’s teammates navigate this storm inside the locker room. It certainly has the potential to derail what has been a very nice start for the team this season.

Tampa Bay is 8-3-1 and has accumulated 17 points, just two behind Atlantic Division-leading Boston.

Kucherov has registered 15 points (four goals, 11 assists), and is a plus-two. He is averaging over 20 minutes per night on the ice.

Tampa Bay will play in Nashville on Saturday at 2 p.m. The team returns to Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday at 7 p.m. to face Detroit.