With Nikita Kucherov demanding a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Toronto Maple Leafs have inquired, and now they have received a response.
According to Frank Seravalli, speaking on the FAN Pregame, teams that inquired about Kucherov were told that he is not being traded.
Simply put, if you want Kucherov on your team, you are going to have to wait for the Summer to make something happen.
The Lightning, I'm told, have told teams that have inquired that they have no designs on trading [him] now, before the deadline, or at any point in the summer
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This is consistent with what the Lightning have said publicly about Kucherov's trade request. They would rather work through the situation while Kucherov is still willing to play games with his teammates.
What does this mean for the Maple Leafs?
For the Maple Leafs, very little changes. As previously reported, they were one of 20 teams that inquired with the Lightning about a potential deal. At this time, the Lightning don't want to do it, and as a result, the Leafs cannot force the issue.
However, there have also been reports that the Maple Leafs are one of the teams that Kucherov would go to, thanks to Auston Matthews.
Kucherov wants to play with another superstar, and he wants to play in a market that is going to love and appreciate him. Toronto is a market that has two of those things.
If the Maple Leafs were to end up with Kucherov, it would have to be in the Summer on July 1, when the forward officially becomes a free agent.
The Maple Leafs will also have to find some salary cap room for Kucherov. While the salary cap is going up, that is not going to be enough to get him on the team. They will also have to move out players to make it work.
Needless to say, general manager John Chayka has a lot to think about, and it's not just going to be an easy decision to bring in a superstar of that magnitude.
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs go all out for Nikita Kucherov?
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