Nikita Kucherov is now linked to Dylan Larkin for a different reason

Chris Johnston just reported that Nikita Kucherov will not leave the Lightning the way Dylan Larkin or Connor Hellebuyck did.

The trade request has been the story around the league all week. On Monday, Brandon Hagel defended Kucherov's trade request and took a clear shot at Larkin and Hellebuyck while doing it.

Johnston's message today is that Kucherov will stay away from that route. He said it is 100% certain the Lightning star won't follow the path those two took by leaving their teams.

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That points to Kucherov staying with the Lightning for now, whatever happens with the request. He has 20 points in 14 games this season, four goals and 16 assists, so he is still producing at a high level.

The team around him is doing fine too. Tampa Bay is 9-3-2, eighth in the NHL, and a perfect 7-0-0 at home, where it hosts Chicago tonight.

Why the Lightning are not in a hurry

Kucherov's contract runs through 2026-27 at a $9.5 million cap hit, and he is set to be an unrestricted free agent when it expires. The deadline for anyone to act is a long way off, and a team with a +7 goal differential has no reason to rush.

Here's where Bob plants a flag: moving a 20-point player off a top-eight team in early November would be a mistake. Whatever comes back, the Lightning would be paying a real price on the ice to settle a question that can wait.

The Larkin situation looks different. Earlier this week Johnston said four or five of the 10 teams on Dylan Larkin's list are truly trying to get him.

The Red Wings are 7-6-3 and lost 4-2 in Tampa on Tuesday. Larkin has six points in 10 games, and Detroit hosts Vegas tonight.

Hellebuyck, meanwhile, is with the Devils, who are 10-5-0 and second in the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey hosts St. Louis tonight and has won two straight.

Kucherov's request is still on the table, and Johnston's report only settles how he handles it, not how it ends. The Lightning get another look at their star tonight against Chicago.

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