Nikita Kucherov joins a rising powerhouse in massive Utah Mammoth trade proposal

Nikita Kucherov to the Utah Mammoth is the mock trade making the rounds, and the price tag in it is enormous.

The Mammoth play at Philadelphia tonight, sitting 9-5-0 after beating Pittsburgh 4-3 in overtime on Thursday. They are 10th in the NHL and second in the Central Division, so a deal like this would be a buyer's move.

IceMetrix floated the proposal Friday. Tampa Bay would receive Tij Iginla, Artyom Duda, Jack McBain, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick.

Kucherov would go the other way. He has 4 goals and 14 assists in 13 games this season, and he had three assists in Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss at Nashville.

The contract matters here. Kucherov's cap hit is $9,500,000 and his deal runs through 2026-27, with no extension signed and unrestricted free agency waiting at the end. According to Elliotte Friedman, Nikita Kucherov's contract talks and Leo Carlsson's AAV are tied together.

Tampa Bay is not in a selling position on the ice. The Lightning are 8-3-2, 8th in the league, and a perfect 6-0-0 at home under Jon Cooper, though the road record is 2-3-2.

What Utah would really give up for a 33-year-old star

Iginla was the sixth overall pick in 2024 and has not played a game this season. Duda, a second-round pick in 2022, has one NHL game on his résumé and no points.

McBain is the only established piece. The 26-year-old center has 3 points and 23 penalty minutes in 14 games, and his $4,250,000 cap hit runs through 2029-30.

Utah should not do this. Two firsts, a second and a sixth overall pick is a lot to hand over for a player whose contract expires after this season, and Bill Armstrong would be paying full price before knowing whether Kucherov signs anywhere long term.

IceMetrix noted that the package leaves one open question for fans, asking who says no to it.

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Tampa Bay's side is just as murky. Our earlier look at Nikita Kucherov's reported trade demand shows how much noise surrounds him, and Julien Brisebois has not been tied to this offer.

The Lightning host Detroit on Tuesday, while Utah goes through Philadelphia tonight. Any real Kucherov market will have to build from there.

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