IceMetrix posted a mock trade today that sends Nikita Kucherov from the Lightning to the Maple Leafs.
It's a mock, not a report, and nothing in it suggests Tampa Bay is shopping its best player. But the price attached to the idea is what has fans arguing.
Toronto would send Kirill Marchenko, Ben Danford, Dakota Joshua and a 2027 first-round pick to Tampa Bay for Kucherov, according to IceMetrix. Four assets for one winger.
Kucherov has 20 points in 14 games this season, including two assists in Tuesday night's 4-2 win over Detroit. The Lightning sit 3rd in the Atlantic Division and haven't lost at home yet.
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | |
| 2026-27 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 20 | +6 |
| Career | 893 | 404 | 739 | 1143 | +206 |
Toronto lost 3-2 to Utah the same night and sits 6th in the Atlantic at 8-7-2. Marchenko, who has 14 points in 14 games, is listed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and is expected out until at least Nov 17, so Kirill Marchenko's absence from the Maple Leafs lineup is already being felt.
IceMetrix closed its post by asking who says no, and the hashtags point at both fan bases.
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Joshua has played 2 games this season and has no points. Danford, the 31st pick in 2024, hasn't played an NHL game, and Ben Danford's NHL-CHL rule situation has kept him out of the AHL too.
Why Tampa Bay says yes and Toronto shouldn't
Tampa Bay would take this call in a heartbeat. It gets a scoring winger, a prospect, a depth center and a first for a 33-year-old whose contract runs through 2026-27 at $9.5 million.
That's exactly why Toronto should hesitate. Paying with an injured top-six forward, its best young defense prospect and a first-round pick for a player with one season left on his deal is a bad trade for the Leafs, no matter how many points Kucherov puts up.
The Lightning host Chicago on Thursday, and Toronto hosts Montreal on Saturday. Marchenko's Nov 17 estimate is still two weeks away, and that clock matters more to this idea than any mock.
Would you give up Marchenko, Danford, Joshua and a first for Kucherov if you ran the Maple Leafs?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Connor Hellebuyck writes an open letter to Jets fans and finally reveals why he requested a trade
