Elliotte Friedman drops major Kucherov update involving Canadiens and Maple Leafs

Nikita Kucherov would be open to playing for the Canadiens or Maple Leafs, according to Elliotte Friedman.

PuckEmpire relayed Friedman's belief on Sunday that the Lightning star is not opposed to playing in Canada. Friedman named both Montreal and Toronto as destinations Kucherov would consider.

Kucherov did his part again last night in Nashville. He piled up three assists and finished a +3 in a 5-4 shootout loss, playing 23:41.

The season line backs up the interest: 18 points in 13 games, with 4 goals and 14 assists. At 33, he is still producing like a top-line driver.

The contract is the clock. His $9,500,000 cap hit runs through 2026-27, he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at expiry, and no extension has been signed. We looked at how Leo Carlsson's cap hit and Kucherov's talks intersected, per Friedman.

Montreal makes the most sense on paper right now. Martin St-Louis's Canadiens are 9-3-2, have won five straight and sit second in the Atlantic, and Kent Hughes would be adding a star to a group that is already rolling.

Toronto is a different case. Jim Hiller's Maple Leafs are 8-6-2 with a +7 goal differential, and a 5-4-1 mark over their last 10 shows a team still looking for consistency. John Chayka would be shopping with a roster that has real needs.

Lightning face a hard call on a star producing at this pace

Friedman's read on Kucherov's willingness to play in Canada matters because it widens the market beyond the usual suspects.

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Tampa Bay is not in a rebuild. Jon Cooper's Lightning are 8-3-2 and a perfect 6-0-0 at home, and moving a player with that production would be tough to justify while they are in the mix. Julien Brisebois is not selling from weakness.

The road record is the soft spot at 2-3-2, and last night's shootout loss added to it. But that is a team problem, not a Kucherov problem, and it does not change what he is worth on the market. Our earlier look at how Kucherov put Canadian contenders on the clock already framed that pressure.

Nothing is settled, and Friedman's comments describe a willingness, not a deal. All three clubs play Tuesday, with Tampa Bay hosting Detroit, Montreal facing Winnipeg and Toronto welcoming Utah.

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