Canadiens face a massive price for Nikita Kucherov in blockbuster trade proposal
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A mock trade has Montreal sending Hage, Dach, Bolduc, Reinbacher and two first-round picks to Tampa Bay for Nikita Kucherov, who requested a trade Friday.
Nikita Kucherov wants out of Tampa Bay, and the mock trades are already piling up.
Hot Take Hockey sent the Montreal Canadiens after the reigning Hart Trophy winner with a package that would hurt.
Montreal would send forward Michael Hage, forward Kirby Dach, winger Zack Bolduc, defenseman David Reinbacher and its 2027 and 2028 first-round picks to the Lightning.
Kucherov would head the other way.
Why Montreal fits
Kucherov is 33, carries a $9.5 million cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
He holds a modified no-trade clause with a 10-team list, and insider David Pagnotta believes Montreal sits atop it.
Head coach Martin St. Louis was his teammate in Tampa, and the Canadiens project close to $30 million in cap space next season.
What Tampa would get back
Hage went 21st overall in 2024 and posted 52 points at Michigan last season, though he's back in college this year and Montreal holds his rights through August 2028.
Bolduc just signed a four-year deal at $4.2 million per season.
Dach is on a one-year, $3.6 million contract.
Reinbacher was the fifth overall pick in 2023 and has spent most of his pro career in the AHL.
That's two firsts and four young players for a 33-year-old on an expiring deal, so Montreal would be paying heavily for a player who would still need a new contract.
The problem is that Tampa isn't selling.
General manager Julien BriseBois said the Lightning have no intention of trading Kucherov, who has 15 points through 12 games.
For now this is only a hypothetical, but it shows what a real offer might look like.
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