On the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nikita Kucherov …
Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning have between $5 and $5.5 million in salary cap space, with Nikita Kucherov probably looking for $6 million or more. Could a team force the Lightning’s hand and try to sign him to an offer sheet?
“I don’t see an offer sheet on Kucherov being viable,” said TV analyst Craig Button, a former Flames general manager.
An offer sheet between $5.6 million and $7.5 million would cost the signing team a first, second, and third round draft pick.
Dustin Penner in 2007 was the last player to sign an offer sheet and not have it matched.
Not many teams could even fit in a big contract for Kucherov this season. Button thinks the Lightning would match any offer sheet for Kucherov.
Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot: Bob McKenzie on TSN 690 on if a team called the Lightning about a possible trade for RFA winger Nikita Kucherov.
“Well, he won’t be available,” said a blunt McKenzie when asked on Montreal’s TSN 690 Wednesday morning. “Steve Yzerman is not, I don’t believe, going to make a conscious decision to trade him. Because I think of all of those guys, some of them that he signed recently like Killorn – we’ll keep Hedman out of the equation because he’s a lynchpin on defense – but when you’ve got all of those guys… Palat is up next year, Tyler Johnson is up next year, you’ve got Killorn. Let’s be honest. The guys that you would think Steve Yzerman would be most interested in moving are guys like Val Filppula and some of the other guys up front, not Kucherov.
“… I think if anybody called up and said to Steve Yzerman, ‘Hey, I’d like to talk to you about a Kucherov deal,’ he’s like, ‘Yeah, no thanks.’
McKenzie adds that other players are likely to be moved before they move Kucherov. The trade market for someone like Valtteri Filppula isn’t nearly as strong as it is for Kucherov. GM Steve Yzerman wants to re-sign Kucherov and not trade him.