The NHL could not go without a quiet Friday night. The bombshell that was news of Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov’s trade request has sent shockwaves throughout the league.
And it could be just the opportunity the Red Wings have been looking for to solve their Dylan Larkin problem.
Insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday evening that the Lightning’s all-time scorer informed the team that he would not be re-signing with them and subsequently requested a trade. The 33-year-old is set to become a UFA next summer.
With that in mind, why not pull off a 1-for-1 swap, that is, a Kucherov-for-Larkin blockbuster?
Tampa Bay is on Larkin’s trade list, while Kucherov, really, just wants to get paid.
There has been plenty of talk that the Lightning, due to their cap constraints, have been lowballing their superstars. It was partly the reason why former captain Steven Stamkos bailed and signed with the Nashville Predators a couple of seasons ago.
The Bolts hoped that Kucherov would be willing to give the Lightning a team-friendly deal like Victor Hedman did.
That situation will not be the case.
Would Kucherov be willing to accept trade to Red Wings?
In light of Friday’s news, would Red Wings GM Shawn Horcoff be on the phone, right? Or would it be the other way around? Would it be Julien BriseBois dialing for dollars to see if Horcoff would be interested in a potential deal?
Whatever the case, the question here would be if Kucherov would be willing to accept a trade to the Red Wings. The former Hart Trophy winner has a 10-team no-trade clause. Unless the Red Wings happen to be on it, there would be no reason for a deal not to happen.
That said, the major holdup would be if Kucherov, one, would be willing to report to the Red Wings. And two, would he be willing to extend in Detroit?
Now, you have to imagine that Kucherov is going to want a contract somewhere in Kirill Kaprizov territory. Without Larkin’s cap hit and with the cap ceiling going up, the Red Wings would have the space to do it.
The only question here would be if there is a willingness on all parties to get something done.
Perhaps Kucherov would be amenable to a deal to Detroit, arrive there, and then figure out the details once he’s wearing the winged wheel.
Whatever happens, it will be fascinating, as Tampa has been lurking in the shadows. And if a Larkin-for-Kucherov deal could materialize, it might just be the biggest hockey trade we’ve seen in quite a while.
Add us as a preferred source on Google