Nikita Kucherov's trade market is wider than anyone thought, with a report citing Pierre LeBrun saying at least 25 NHL teams have discussed acquiring him.
That is most of the league. And it comes while the Lightning, 9-3-2 and 8th in the NHL, sit in the Atlantic Division's top four and are about to host Chicago tonight.
Hockey Patrol passed along the report on Tuesday, noting that Kucherov has already requested a trade and that the saga keeps getting bigger.
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The timing makes this awkward for Tampa Bay. Kucherov has 20 points in 14 games this season, including 16 assists, so this is not a star in decline looking for a change of scenery. He is producing at the level that makes 25 teams pick up the phone.
The Lightning are producing too. They won 4-2 over Detroit on Tuesday and are 7-0-0 at home. The road is where the cracks show, at 2-3-2.
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | |
| 2026-27 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 20 | +6 |
| Career | 893 | 404 | 739 | 1143 | +206 |
Contract talk has been part of this from the start. According to Elliotte Friedman, Kucherov's reported $17 million target was pegged to Kirill Kaprizov's deal. His current cap hit is $9,500,000, and the contract expires after this season, which is why the money matters here.
Why the Lightning cannot hold out forever
A trade request from a player this good does not stay quiet. Every team that has asked the question knows Kucherov turns 34 soon enough to complicate any long-term deal, and it also knows he can become a UFA at the end of 2026-27.
That gives general manager Julien Brisebois a real problem. Moving a player who is 893 games into his NHL career and has 1143 points means selling a franchise cornerstone in the middle of a winning season.
Some of the speculation has already gone further than the reporting. One mock trade had Kucherov landing with the Maple Leafs, and fans ran with it. A mock trade is not a negotiation, but it shows how fast the market builds around him.
Keeping him is the cleaner baseball-card answer for a team winning at home. It is also the answer that ignores a player who has asked out. Tampa Bay cannot have both for long.
Jon Cooper's team plays Chicago tonight, and Kucherov's name will follow the Lightning into the building. Whether Brisebois moves him before the next road trip is the question the league is waiting to see answered.
Should the Lightning trade Nikita Kucherov while his value is this high?
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