Nikita Kucherov is entering the last season of his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning and there’s still no extension in place. Jeff Marek used that opening to float a scenario that got plenty of attention: what if he ends up in Montreal?
The context matters here. Kucherov is currently on a $9.5 million cap hit, and Chris Johnston reported earlier this month that his camp has been looking for something closer to $20 million a season on a six-year term. General manager Julien BriseBois has said publicly he wants Kucherov in Tampa long term, though that’s roughly how he spoke about Steven Stamkos before letting him walk. If no deal gets done, Kucherov hits unrestricted free agency next July.
Insider on Kucherov
Speaking on The Sheet, Marek argued the Montreal Canadiens fit better than most people would assume, starting with money. Montreal has just under $2.8 million in space this season, a figure that grows to roughly $13 million by the trade deadline and close to $30 million next offseason. Marek also pointed to the club’s growing Russian presence.
“There are more Russian players on the horizon that are coming to the Montreal Canadiens, to say nothing about player mentor for Demidov,” Marek said. “If there’s a team you’re looking at for Kucherov, if he gets there and doesn’t sign with Tampa, I think A, he wants to play with smart players, and B, I think he wants to win.”
Ivan Demidov is the key name there. He signed an eight-year extension with Montreal this summer and openly took less money to do it, and he shares an agent with Kucherov in Dan Milstein. Prospects Alexander Zharovsky and Gleb Pugachyov are also in the system.
There was also a romantic argument made on the podcast about how Montreal treats Russian stars, with Alexei Kovalev brought up as the template. Kovalev was adored in Montreal for his artistry even in stretches where he produced sporadically, and the suggestion was that Kucherov would be received the same way while playing alongside a high-IQ center in Nick Suzuki.
Will Nikita Kucherov leave the Lightning?
Not everyone on the show was convinced. One co-host pushed back with a dry question about how many faceoffs Kucherov has taken in his career, the point being that Montreal’s actual need is a second-line center rather than another winger. Marek’s answer was that prospect Michael Hage is arriving from Michigan to fill that role, and that whoever lines up with Kucherov becomes a great center by default.
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The same co-host offered a competing prediction: Kucherov stays in Tampa. The argument was that what he values most is the life he already has, a run of statistical success and contention with a core the right age to stay good for several more years, plus an environment where he isn’t obliged to deal with the media.
It should be said plainly that none of this is reporting. As The Hockey Writers put it, there is nothing linking Kucherov and Montreal, and Marek’s comments amount to a theory rather than anything concrete. BriseBois could sign him tomorrow and the entire conversation disappears. The full episode is available through The Sheet.
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