Kucherov, BriseBois, and the Stamkos Precedent

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov didn’t exactly come out from under his hoodie on Monday, but he did speak with the media, finally, in the wake of his seismic announcement on Friday that he would not be re-signing with the team next summer, AND he was requesting a trade. 

“It was never about the money, for me,” Kucherov said of why he made the decision to go public with his disappointment.

Every card-carrying member of the Bolts Nation loves ‘Kuch’ dearly, but he can stop right there.

Whether it is a professional athlete or the guy in the cubicle next to you, when they say “It was never about the money, for me,” then you can be assured that it is certainly “about the money.”

If money had nothing to do with this acrimonious situation, then why didn’t Kucherov sign the reported four-year deal worth $60,000,000 when Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois offered it? Because, after all, as Kucherov stated: It was never about the money.

He hasn’t signed a contract extension because it IS “about the money.”

What Kucherov said bothered him and caused him to go public (or at least his agent, Dan Millstein, advised him to do so) is the fact that, according to him, BriseBois has hardly spoken to his star player, and when he did, it was somewhat disrespectful.

“It was more about poor communication and respect,” Kucherov explained. “Over the last four months, we have only had two conversations, and Julien, in the end, made it clear that I’m free to walk on July 1.”

Again, it is critical to note that this was Kucherov’s recollection of the negotiating process. What we have heard on this matter from BriseBois, which was during training camp, paints a vastly different picture than the player is seeing.

“Both parties,” BriseBois said in September, “I know, would have preferred to have a deal today and be able to put that behind us. 

“We haven’t been able to do that. I’m still in touch with his agent.”

So here we are. Either Kucherov is misleading everyone about the frequency of contact, or BriseBois is. 

What is clear is that Kucherov has asked to be traded, and BriseBois has said: We, unequivocally, have no intention of trading Nikita.

So, again, here we are. 

Many have pointed to how BriseBois handled contract negotiations with the last Lightning star, Steven Stamkos.

In June 2024, BriseBois made an offer to the then-all-time Tampa Bay points scorer that he felt was fair ($24 million over eight seasons) and, more importantly, didn’t hinder the team’s chance at future success. Stamkos wanted more money and eventually signed a four-year, $32 million deal with Nashville.

BriseBois stood his ground amid a lot of criticism from the fan base. He also did something else, which absolutely made the most hockey sense. 

BriseBois signed then-30-year-old Jake Guentzel to a $63 million contract over seven seasons. Since making that decision, Guentzel has outproduced Stamkos significantly, for essentially the same amount of money annually that each player is receiving through next season.

Will BriseBois stand his ground and not meet the reported $120 million over six years that Kucherov is seeking? History says, yes.

Will BriseBois relent and eventually fulfill Kucherov’s trade request? If he isn’t going to re-sign the reigning Hart Trophy winner, then he should. It makes no sense to receive nothing next summer for an “historically great player,” which is how BriseBois described Kucherov last month. And Kucherov WILL ultimately get the deal he is seeking, because it only takes one team to offer it, and some team(s) will.

But BriseBois did allow Stamkos to walk away for no return, because the general manager had a better Plan B in his mind. If that is the case now, BriseBois must have one helluva Plan B up his sleeve to match Kucherov’s ability on the ice.

To the credit of both Kucherov and BriseBois, both are handling the situation professionally at this time. 

Kucherov has played in two games since the announcement and accumulated five points. 

“For now,” Kucherov said, “I’m a part of this team, and I’ll do anything I can to help this team and my teammates win.”

As for BriseBois, unlike Millstein, who posts on social media more frequently than a 20-year-old frat bro, he issued his emphatic response and said nothing else. BriseBois’s statement won’t prevent the other 31 National Hockey League teams from having the general manager on speed-dial until the league’s trade deadline in March.

“We’re going to keep the lines of communication open,” BriseBois said (again, contrasting what Kucherov said), “with the goal remaining, and being, 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.”