Bruins mock trade for Kucherov costs Geekie and Mittelstadt

A mock trade sending Nikita Kucherov to the Boston Bruins is making the rounds Saturday, and the price tag is steep.

The idea comes from BlueLinesHQ and was shared by IceMetrix. Tampa Bay would get Morgan Geekie, Casey Mittelstadt, Dean Letourneau, Matt Poitras, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick.

Boston would get Kucherov and Dominic James. That's a lot of bodies for one 33-year-old winger, and it's worth walking through who actually goes.

Geekie has 9 points in 14 games for the Bruins this season, including 1 power-play goal and 3 power-play assists. Mittelstadt has 4 goals and a +8 rating through 14 games, the best plus-minus of the group.

Poitras has 4 goals in 11 games. Letourneau, the 25th overall pick in 2024, has not played an NHL game this season.

Kucherov is sitting on 15 points in 12 games for a Lightning team that is 8-3-1. That is the player Boston would be buying.

Would Boston really gut its center depth for Kucherov?

Look at what the Bruins have right now. They are 9-4-1, first in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the NHL, with a +18 goal differential. This isn't a team begging for a rescue.

Moving two of its top centers plus Poitras would hollow out the middle of a club that is winning. I think it's a bad idea for Boston, and the standings are the reason.

Boston did drop its last two, including a 4-1 loss at St. Louis on Thursday. Marco Sturm's group plays Chicago tonight, so the mood around the room can change fast.

For Tampa Bay, the math looks different. The Kucherov trade request and the GM reaction has kept this story hot, and the Lightning are in no rush to sell low on a franchise winger.

IceMetrix summed up the mock deal by asking who says no, putting the question squarely to fans.

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James is the only Tampa piece heading back to Boston, with 2 points in 4 games this season. He is a depth add, not a counterweight to what the Bruins would be sending out.

Tampa is in Nashville tonight and Kucherov is expected in the lineup, according to our report on Kucherov playing tonight. Until that changes, this stays a mock trade and nothing more.

Also read on Markerzone.com:
Nikita Kucherov landing spots put Canadiens, Oilers in focus