General manager Kent Hughes has talked about the frustration in trying to get a trade done to improve the roster. He has missed out on Matthew Knies, Kirill Marchenko, and Dylan Larkin, who still refuses to waive his no-trade clause to join the Canadiens. However, all those failed pursuits might be a blessing in disguise if they can land Nikita Kucherov.
On Friday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Lightning captain informed the franchise and teammates that he would not be re-signing after the season and was requesting a trade. The 33-year-old is in the final year of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
"According to multiple sources, Nikita Kucherov has informed both his teammates and the Lightning organization that he will not be re-signing with Tampa Bay and would like to be traded."
Kucherov has been one of the best forwards in the NHL over the past few seasons with 110 points or more in each of the past four seasons. Last season, he would finish with 130 points and win the second Hart Trophy of his career. This season, he has 15 points through the first 12 games and even at this point in his career, the Canadiens could be a perfect match.
Nikita Kucherov would give the Montreal Canadiens the best top line in the NHL
The Canadiens have been in search of a Top 6 addition since the summer and the only move they made was signing free agent Chris Kreider. Again, this is not necessarily entirely their fault and they have been aggressive in trying to get a deal done.
If the Canadiens were to add Kucherov, he would be a perfect fit on the top line with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. While it doesn't help them at center on the second line, it does open the door for Juraj Slafkvosky to move back to a line with Ivan Demidov.
For the Canadiens, the big question is whether or not they are on Kucherov's 10-team no-trade list. However, even if they are it should be an easy sell to convince Kucherov to waive it. The Canadiens are a team with a ton of young talent that is ascending and Kucherov even got to see first-hand how good this team is after Montreal knocked Tampa Bay out of the playoffs last season.
While Kucherov has requested a trade, as it has been evident this season with Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin, it doesn't mean that a trade is going to happen right away (or even at all). The Canadiens are going to have to make a big trade offer to get the deal done but this could be Kent Hughes' best chance to get that impact forward he has been desperately looking for.
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