Trade requests have dominated the first month of the NHL season and Friday night news emerged regarding the biggest yet: the reigning NHL MVP wants out of Tampa.
Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov, the two-time Hart Trophy winner and three-time scoring champ, has requested a trade, according to multiple reports.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news.
Kucherov "informed both his teammates and the Lightning organization that he will not be re-signing with Tampa Bay and would like to be traded," Friedman reported, citing multiple sources.
Here's what we know about the news that could reshape the NHL:
Why did Nikita Kucherov request a trade?
Friedman reported the "exact reasons" for Kucherov wanting out now are "unclear."
Kucherov is in the last year of his contract,
though, and set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season. ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported that Kucherov and the Lightning "remained far apart" in negotiations and that led to Friday's meeting where Kucherov asked out.
Per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, Kucherov and his agent asked for the trade in a meeting with Lightning GM Julien BriseBois on Friday.
The Lightning historically have not been afraid to watch star players walk, most recently seeing longtime captain Steven Stamkos leave for Nashville in 2024. Though Kucherov is the franchise's all-time leading scorer − recently passing Stamkos − he will be 34 years old when his contract expires this summer.
While the Lightning have remained a perennial playoff contender since winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 (and reaching the 2022 Final), they have exited in the first round four straight years.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikita Kucherov trade request from Lightning: What we know
