Kucherov wants out of Tampa, 3 likely landing spots.

 Kucherov asks out of Tampa, trade to come, where could he land?

Hey guys and welcome back to another End to End Hockey blog post, as in today's article we are going to be talking about Lightning forward and reigning MVP Nikita Kucherov, as late last week the Superstar forward shockingly asked for a trade from Tampa and said we would not resign with the Bolts, now the Bolts have reportedly offered the pending UFA a 4 year deal with a $15 Million AAV, but he wants a 5-6 year deal in the $20 Million AAV range, so with contract talks going slowly Kucherov got fed up and asked out, now a lot of teams would probably want Nikita Kucherov, but some teams just can't do it cap wise and others Kucherov may not want to go to as he doesn't have as much trade protection as say a guy like Larkin but only has a 10 team trade list, which means he can still block a trade to some teams, but with this news coming out I have found 3 teams in the NHL that could make a sort of trade that I think the Bolts would be alright with, that could make it work cap wise and that Kucherov would be open to going to, so without further ado, here are the 3 teams I think are most likely to acquire Kucherov.

3). Montreal Canadiens

Cap Space: $1.82 Million

My Projected package: 27 1RD top 10 protected, 2029 2RD, K.Dach, P.Danault, M.Hage and D.Reinbacher

Quick Analysis: now I think Montreal has to be one of the frontrunners as the Habs have been looking for some forward help for quite some time (even been linked to Larkin recently) and there was even some scattered talk in the offseason that Kucherov may want to play with Demidov in Montreal so that is a lot of reasons why Montreal is linked, now when it comes to why I have them at 3 and not the most likely team to land him is just based on Geography, The Bolts and Habs are both in the Atlantic and at this point unless their offer blows Tampa away I think the Bolts don't want to trade Kucherov to a division rival like the Habs, now that is why my package for Montreal is so steep but I think the Bolts would definitely consider that Package, they get 2 former 1RD prospects in Hage and Reinbacher who project to be a 2C and 2nd pair defender in a year or two, two middle six forwards who could help the Bolts right now to make the money work in Dach and Danault and a couple of draft picks, so all in all I think it would be a pretty solid return for Tampa, Montreal would get a superstar in Kucherov and I think there is a fit, I just don't know about the Habs because of where they are located, so onto the next team.

2). San Jose Sharks 

Cap Space: $3.42 Million ($11.42 Million if they place Couture on LTIR)

My Projected Package: 2027 1RD top 10 protected, 2029 2RD, T.Toffoli, C.Graf and Q.Musty

Quick Analysis: so when it comes to a team out west who I think for the sake of being in the West would be more likely to pull off a trade would be San Jose, now the Sharks are similar to the Habs coming out of a rebuild and have a lot of young and promising pieces that makes it seem like they will be contending for quite some time going forward and adding a player of Kucherov's stature could speed up the time they get to contending, now not only do the Sharks have the money to get Kucherov, and have a boatload of assets that could intrigue the Bolts, but the Sharks also are in the west which would make it more palatable for them to trade him and they would get one heck of a return, as just like with the Habs they would get a 1st and 2nd round pick, as well as Toffoli who can instantly help Tampa in the top six for a few years and help replace Kucherov on the powerplay, and also get two young guys in Graf and Musty, Graf coming off a phenomenal year last season who can help in the middle six and Musty who could help in the top 9 in a year or two, so I really do think the Sharks have to be a leader for Kucherov as I am sure he would love to play with Celebrini and although I don't have them 1, I think San Jose will be in contention for him.

1). Utah Mammoth

Cap Space: $4.89 Million

My Projected Package: 2027 1RD top 10 protected, 2028 1RD (FLO), B.Tanev, L.Crouse, C.Desnoyers, M.Lamoureaux

Quick Analysis: Now in my opinion the team that fits the most categories for potentially landing Kucherov If/When he gets dealt has to be Utah, the Mammoth are in such a good position to pull off a deal like this, not only are they out West which may make it a bit more appetizing for the Bolts to make a trade, but they have a boatload of assets that could be of interest to the Bolts, have a decent amount of cap space that money wise they could make it work and they already have one of the most potent offenses in the entire NHL, now this could be a trade package I think the Bolts would jump at because they would get 4 1st round caliber pieces, as they would get 2 1RD picks (unlike a 1st and 2nd in the other two packages, A top A level prospect in Desnoyers who could eventually be a lethal 1st or 2nd line Center and a decent D prospect in Lamoureaux who should still be a 2nd or 3rd pair defender soon, and get some immediate forward help with the Crouse and Tanev additions, so all in all it would make the money work, give Tampa quite a haul for now and the future and the Mammoth add Kucherov to a forward core that already has Keller, Guenther, Schmaltz, Cooley, Trocheck, Lee and some others, I could see that be a true win-win deal and more be the move that pushes Utah over the top into the Cup Contention tier.

Honurable Mentions (Other teams I could see acquire Kucherov: Washington, Nashville and Dallas)

So guys those are my thoughts when it comes to Kucherov and where I believe he could go if/when the Bolts decide to move him and Tampa is hoping Kucherov changes his mind and still extends so this situation may last a few months, but those are my thoughts as I do believe Utah, San Jose and Montreal stand the best chance to land Kucherov, but let me know in the comments below, does Kucherov get dealt, if so to where and what type of Package could Tampa get, let me know down below, don't forget to check out my YouTube Channel and I can't wait to see you all real soon.