Brandon Hagel is defending Nikita Kucherov's trade request, and the Lightning forward took a clear shot at Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck while doing it.
The timing matters. Tampa Bay hosts Larkin's Red Wings on Tuesday, and the Lightning are trying to hold together an 8-3-2 start while the Kucherov situation hangs over the room.
Hagel's message was simple: Kucherov is not the same case as the other two. "Kuch is a good friend and a good teammate. He loves the city. He's done everything he possibly could for the city," Hagel said.
Then came the dig. "It's not like he committed here for eight years and asked out just two years into it. This is a different situation."
That line is aimed squarely at Larkin and Hellebuyck, who both asked out partway through their contracts. Larkin's deal runs through 2030-31, and so does Hellebuyck's.
Larkin has since put the Devils on his trade list alongside Hellebuyck, which keeps both names at the center of the trade conversation.
Hagel also spoke about how Kucherov will handle the rest of the season. He called him "the type of guy that's just going to continue to come out and play hard for this team because he does care about us."
Does a Kucherov trade request depend on the contract?
Hagel is drawing a line that plenty of players would like to believe in. The commitment argument has some weight, but a request is a request. Whatever the number of years, Tampa Bay still has a franchise player who wants out, and that is a problem for a team 8th in the NHL.
The Lightning have the results to ignore the noise for now. They are 6-0-0 at home, and Hagel himself has 8 goals and 16 points in 13 games. His 2 game-winning goals are a big reason the Lightning sit where they do.
But the road is a different story. Tampa Bay is 2-3-2 away from home and lost 5-4 in a shootout at Nashville on Saturday. That is not the profile of a team that can afford a long-running distraction.
For Detroit, the picture is just as uncomfortable. The Red Wings sit 20th in the NHL at 6-5-3, and they have dealt with Larkin's absence from the lineup in the middle of all this. They play at Florida tonight before heading to Tampa.
Larkin has 6 points in 10 games this season. Hellebuyck has just 2 games played for New Jersey, who are 9-5-0 and second in the Metropolitan Division.
Whether Hagel's comments land in Detroit's room is unknown. The Lightning and Red Wings drop the puck Tuesday, and Larkin's status for that game is the first thing to watch.
Does a long commitment make a trade request more acceptable?
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Nikita Kucherov reportedly selects 3 players who he wants to play alongside in the NHL
