If the Toronto Maple Leafs can point to one advantage they have on their quest to acquire Nikita Kucherov, and it's one sitting on the team's blue line.
When news broke that Nikita Kucherov had requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning, it set off a firestorm of speculation as to where he'd end up. He's only got a handful of teams he would like to go to, though one of them is reportedly the Maple Leafs.
That would be a wild blockbuster that would cement Toronto as dead serious about winning the Atlantic and making a strong playoff push. It's going to cost a lot, plus they are going to have to outbid every other team in order to acquire him.
Toronto holds one of Kucherov's favourite offensive weapons
Though they do have a lot of work ahead of them, they may hold an advantage that pushes them ahead of everyone else, and ensure that he would have a much easier transition - they've got Darren Raddysh.
Acquired, then signed long-term this summer, Raddysh earned his massive deal off the backs of a 22-goal, 70-ppiint performance for Tampa Bay. But a critical part of that success was Kucherov.
Of his 22 goals scored last season, Kucherov assisted on 15 of them - that's 68%. It's safe to say that Kucherov and Raddysh have incredible chemistry, and though Raddysh was benefiting from Victor Hedman's injury - he still put up those numbers.
Kucherov would be sticking around for the long-haul, and with Raddysh signed long-term as well the two would be able to provide the Maple Leafs with a consistent one-two punch that has proven to be effective at 5v5 and the power-play.
Acquiring Kucherov could bring back the 'old' Darren Raddysh
It may also be the key to awakening the goal-scoring potential of Raddysh. he has nine points this season, but no goals yet through 16 games. Compare that to last year when he had nine points, but scored twice - he needs something to get him going.
Having a power-play of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Kirill Marchenko, Kucherov and Raddysh would be a nigh-unstoppable group and there's a real chance they could be one of the most dominant power-play units in franchise history.
That may be the key to unlocking Raddysh as well as giving Kucherov a lot more to think about. Don't forget that Toronto has both Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan in the mix, and Kucherov wants to play with young superstars.
It seems like everything is lining up for the Maple Leafs to have at least a decent chance of being in the Kucherov trade conversations. But it's their prized offseason acquisition that could be the thing that puts them ahead of the rest.
Do you think Darren Raddysh will help the Maple Leafs acquire Nikita Kucherov?
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