Nikita Kucherov trade decision revealed as Lightning face $60 million gamble

Tampa Bay is reportedly telling rival general managers that Nikita Kucherov is not available at the trade deadline.

Frank Seravalli reported the stance Thursday for Sportsnet, adding that the Lightning's revised offer is believed to be four years at $15 million per season, or $60 million total.

Neither the message to other clubs nor the contract terms have been confirmed by the team.

The stance matches GM Julien BriseBois's October 30 statement, issued hours after Elliotte Friedman reported that Kucherov will not re-sign and wants out.

BriseBois said the Lightning have no intention of trading him.

Seravalli's report suggests that position extends to the deadline.

One team was reportedly told Kucherov belongs to Tampa through the end of June.

Kucherov is the reigning Hart Trophy winner and is in the final year of an eight-year, $76 million contract with a $9.5 million cap hit.

He has 1,142 points in 892 games, all with Tampa Bay.

Trading him mid-season would strip a contender of its primary playmaker.

The reported offer is a $5.5 million raise per year and would run through his age-37 season.

Seravalli also modelled the tax math: high-tax markets such as Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal would reportedly need to pay about $20.4 million annually to match the take-home value of $15 million in Florida.

That is an estimate, not an offer from any team.

The risk is real, though. Friedman reported that Kucherov's initial ask was pegged to Kirill Kaprizov's $17 million average, well above Tampa's number.

Rival teams could also offer longer terms that exceed $60 million in total earnings.

And the reasons behind his trade request have not been publicly confirmed, so money may not be the only issue.

Keeping him is defensible if Tampa believes it is a true contender, because no deadline package replaces his production in a playoff series.

But if he walks on July 1, the Lightning get nothing back.

The gamble works best if the relationship, not just the dollars, can be repaired before then.

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