Nikita Kucherov asked the Tampa Bay Lightning to trade him last week, and the number everybody had attached to the breakdown was $15 million a season. Kevin Weekes says that isn’t where the club started.
“Per sources, I’m told 1st offer was around 13M, revised offer 15M only after Carlsson 18M offer sheet & Makar 20M deal,” Weekes wrote.
So the Lightning opened at around $13 million for the reigning Hart Trophy winner, and only moved once two other clubs had reset the market around them.
Nikita Kucherov’s contract situation:
| Figure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Current cap hit | $9.5 million |
| Lightning’s first offer | about $13 million |
| Lightning’s revised offer | $15 million |
| Reported asking price | $18-20 million |
Why does Nikita Kucherov want to leave Tampa Bay?
The gap between those last two rows is most of it. Kucherov has spent his entire career on a cap hit well below what his production warranted, having signed his current deal in 2019, and the market has moved a long way since.
Supporters reacted to the $13 million figure the way you would expect.
“Insane to offer Kuch 13 mill. Guy has been underpaid his whole career. Most underrated player maybe in history of the NHL,” one wrote.
“The first offer was… what? Yeah, I would ask for a trade too. That’s so bad,” said another.
“I don’t understand how if you’re Tampa you don’t pay this guy,” a third added, with somebody else concluding: “Holy s***, no wonder why he’s apparently done in Tampa.”
Fans slam Tampa
Weekes also described the room where it happened. The meeting took place in Nashville with four people present: Kucherov, his agent Dan Milstein, general manager Julien BriseBois and head coach Jon Cooper.
None of this appears to be about the coach. Weekes noted that Kucherov has a great relationship with Cooper and intends to play out his contract rather than force anything, while having told both his teammates and the club that he won’t re-sign.
The production behind the asking price speaks for itself. Kucherov put up 130 points last season, recently became the highest-scoring player in franchise history, and has six 100-point seasons including one of 144. BriseBois has said publicly that the Lightning have no intention of trading him.
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