A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Same as last week’s column, only spookier.
1. In the wake of Friday afternoon’s Friedge bomb that Nikita Kucherov will not be re-signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning and would like to be moved, we saw some wild reaction to some wilder news.
Some compared the Bolts’ newly minted all-time leading scorer’s trade request to that of Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin. No way.
Both the Devils goalie and suspended and stripped Red Wings captain have nearly five full years on their current contracts. Both decided to stop honouring those contracts.
Kucherov is an impending unrestricted free agent, plans to keep piling points (15 through 12 games) for the team that drafted him in 2011, and is actually doing the franchise he helped to 12 post-seasons and two Stanley Cups a favour.
Hear me out.
We sat in the arena when walk-for-nothing franchise cornerstones John Tavares and Mitch Marner (Nicolas Roy acknowledged) returned to the homes of their former teams after choosing a fresh path on the open market.
Ugly, lamentable scenes.
At least there is honesty and transparency with Kucherov — and, for that matter, GM Julien BriseBois — as the mini dynasty and its mind-blowing playmaker head for divorce.
Until we’re told otherwise, this appears like a matter of money.
BriseBois separates sentiment from business. It’s why he refused to pay Tampa’s last all-time legend market value and let Steven Stamkos walk to Nashville.
Kucherov will be 34 when he begins his next contract. And with salaries spiking, his next AAV should begin with a 2 and feature eight figures.
BriseBois is the type of guy who wouldn’t want to pay a player for what he’s already done; he wants to extend competitive windows and rein in his internal cap.
Kucherov, a bargain at his current $9.5 million per season, is tied with Hall of Fame–level goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and top centre Brayden Point for the richest salary on the team.
Doubling Kucherov’s payday into the back half of his 30s, no matter how dynamic he is today or important to club lore forever, would alter BriseBois’s cap management in the future.
The going rate for impact forwards, even those in their mid-30s, has essentially doubled since Kucherov signed his current deal eight years ago, and he has every right to ask for $20 million. Tax-free state or not.
Just as BriseBois has every right to keep Kucherov as a potential own rental and strive for another Cup — or trade him if it benefits his team long-term.
The GM released a statement Friday night: “We unequivocally have no intention of trading Nikita.”
I unequivocally had no intention to eat that second chocolate chip cookie up in the Kraken press box.
Much can happen between now and the March 1 trade deadline, and BriseBois does have the option of dealing Kucherov to one of 10 teams on his approved trade list. (ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that Kucherov is interested in linking with another NHL superstar in-season).
A blockbuster of this magnitude would alter the Atlantic Division and beyond. No reigning Hart Trophy champ has been traded in-season.
Surely these are nervy times for you, Lightning fans. But Kucherov is doing you a solid.
He is getting ahead of a conundrum by telling the world that the money gap is too wide. He is granting your favourite franchise time and options, while also making a shrewd PR move.
The Lightning can take bids from a third of the league and recoup a massive haul for Kucherov, a star poised to walk for free in eight months. (Kent Hughes on Line 1?) Or BriseBois can clamp on the earmuffs and go for it one last time with arguably the greatest talent to wear the logo.
But fans can’t accuse Kucherov of faking faithfulness.
2. Six quick Qs with No. 6, Brock Boeser.
Who looks to have a big year in Vancouver?
“Liam Ohgren is going to have a great year. And Zeev Buium. Great contract. In a few years, he’s going to be underpaid. If you look at all these deals that are happening, I feel like that’s not crazy in any way. A lot of us are just kind of shocked (where the money is going). But it’s good for the league. It shows how much the league is growing.”
Some American stars are choosing to play south of the border. You could’ve left as a free agent. Why stay?
“I just love it there. The city’s amazing. The people, the fans are great, and I believe in our team. I know we’re young, and they said we’re going through rebuild, but I think we can surprise some people this year.”
How would you describe your relationship with Henrik and Daniel Sedin?
“I got to play with them a year, and they’re just super great guys. Personable. Elite hockey minds. I have a good relationship with them, and I’m really excited they’re in charge. It’s huge for the city. Like, they’re legends of the city, right? So, everyone trusts them and knows how smart they are. I think people are going to sit back and be really excited with how they operate things.”
Ryan Johnson’s major message this season?
“Taking a step at a time. We have to approach each day wanting to get better, and we got to have each other’s backs. But we got to hold each other accountable. We talk about setting the culture and trying to grow the culture. And that’s the thing. I feel like we lost the culture the last few years with everything that's gone on. Now it's a new step, new chapter, and I think everyone’s on board.”
What did you learn from all the drama that unfolded the past couple seasons?
“Negativity kills rooms. When there’s a lot of negativity, it’s hard to perform. It’s easy to get distracted. Something myself and the older guys will make sure we have in the locker room is positivity and make sure no one brings that negativity in the room.”
Craziest fan interaction in Vancouver?
“When someone sees you out in the public and they just start crying. That's kind of like, OK, I'm not that important. It’s only happened a couple times. I’m like, ‘You don't need to cry. I'm just a normal person.’”
3. Surely operating in a quieter hockey market, coming off a championship, and leaping to a league-best, we’re-pretty-good-without-you 10-2-2 start all helps, but how GM Eric Tulsky handled his disgruntled player, Alexander Nikishin, looks like a masterclass compared to some of the high-profile stalemates around the NHL.
The third-pair defenceman signed a prorated $3-million, one-year deal that is free of trade protection. That Nikishin will be hard-pressed for power-play minutes and is starting late will make it difficult for him to rack up points, a major currency when it comes to arbitration.
Tulsky had leverage and pressed it. He can either trade Nikishin at a cap hit rival GMs should be salivating over, or re-up him in Round 2 of restricted free agency for a reasonable rate.
In the meantime, the 25-year-old Russian gives an already-deep blue line yet another layer at fine value. A clear win for management.
4. Quote of the Week.
“You treat everyone fairly. Don’t treat everyone equally.” — Jon Cooper, waxing philosophical, on coaching Kucherov, days before his trade request came out
5. Funny to learn that Quinn Hughes’ Minnesota teammates began booing him in the dressing room to acclimatize the defenceman for his boisterous Vancouver return.
That “He’s not sign-ing!” razz was chef’s kiss, Rogers Arena.
Because it feels like it may well be true.
Hughes, by all accounts, is undecided — even with the Wild ready to break the bank.
GM Bill Guerin has made it clear he’d extend Hughes' contract in a heartbeat and is even trying to bring in Hughes’ good friend Dylan Larkin, a move that would make a long-term commitment to Minnesota more appealing.
But the GM said he’s not going full James Brown (or Sabrina Carpenter) here.
What a choice Guerin will be faced with if Hughes — a rare NHL superstar without trade protection — is still flip-flopping come February.
Trade the sport’s most valuable chip and recoup assets? Or roll the dice, keep Hughes as an “own rental,” try to win a Cup, and cross your fingers?
If I’m Sunny Mehta, I’m just sitting quietly and watching Guerin squirm through what is shaping to be a career-defining choice.
6. Some have asked to pinpoint the identity of the 2026-27 Maple Leafs.
In truth, they’re still figuring that out. But through 15 games, we know their identity has been built on two pillars: (over?) reliance on elite offensive talent — they already have seven skaters with double-digit point totals and another injured point-per-gamer (John Tavares) — and all-world special teams.
Toronto’s penalty kill (92.3 per cent) and power play (31.2) both lead the Eastern Conference. Ahead of Wednesday’s dramatic loss in Seattle, Kraken coach Lane Lambert rattled off those combined percentages warily. (Anything over 100 is strong; anything above 120 can be fate-altering.) Opposing teams are warned about taking penalties against the Leafs and have little luck cashing in if they draw them.
“Anytime you can win the special-teams battles, you’re gonna have a good chance of winning that individual game, and our PK has done a really good job giving us a chance to win the special teams battle,” Troy Stecher told me.
The Leafs have surrendered more even-strength goals (40) than any team not named the Vancouver Canucks, but they’ve won the individual-game special-teams battle nine times, tied it five times, and only lost it once.
Straight up: PP plus PK has kept them OK.
“When I was on Tampa, it was a very similar PK. When you’re able to go and be aggressive and have reads, it is really hard on the power play. You bobble a puck, and all of a sudden you have a guy with a stick on you already. It’s good to be able to make reads and have communication with the other guys to have your back,” said Nick Paul, offering a peek into the strategy.
“The rule is: If one goes, we all go. And if you know your guy's going, you're going right behind him for any loose puck, or you're getting any guy that's close that can be a support option, whether it's a bump, whether it's to the D. I just think we do a really good job of communicating on bobbled pucks. We go. And then our safety net is, we have a lot of guys in good positions and willing to eat shots.”
Give credit to 2026 Calder Cup–winning coach John Gruden, who has gained the respect of veteran killers with his attention to X’s and O’s, eagerness to review clips with the unit and detailed scouting of the opposition’s power-play strengths.
“He’s made a lot of adjustments on film pre-game,” Stecher said. “A lot of that depends on the group you have within the room, and we've got a veteran group, especially on the back end. So, guys are able to take those adjustments without practising them. That’s shown based on our percentage.
“Just like anything, though, you got to continue to do it. You give up two out of three in one night, and it’s not a very good night. So, it’s a challenge and a focus for us.”
7. Noticed that Gavin McKenna’s stall gets set up right beside Auston Matthews’s in every visitors’ room on the road. That’s no accident, as everyone in Leafland is aboard this mentor-mentee relationship between the two No. 1 picks.
“Personality-wise, actually, they’re similar. It’s really been cool to see them bond a little bit. They’ve been really close. Auston’s obviously going to be a really big mentor for him. Him and John (Tavares) are going to be great. A lot of the older guys are going to help him find his way too — and the skill of both speaks for itself,” said linemate Jack Roslovic.
“First overall in a city like Toronto is definitely a difficult thing to do. I remember when Auston was going through it a little bit, and I think the two are very similar. They’re both super young but super mature. The ability to come in and just do that and play hockey at the calibre that you have to play at every night is a testament to itself.”
McKenna lights up when you bring up the “top-notch” treatment of NHL travel life.
“I’m getting to know all the guys a lot better. I didn’t know really any of them before the start of the year, and then now they’re some of your best buddies,” McKenna said.
“You come into the league and you're nervous a little bit and stuff like that. But I think when you're out on the ice, it's just hockey. You know, it's a game you've played your whole life. And obviously it's the highest level. But when you're out there, for me, it's just been fun to be playing that game at the highest level.”
8. Because I need more hobbies and/or friends and/or streaming reccos, I listened to all 34 minutes and 19 seconds of Sunny Mehta’s casual and thorough press conference detailing his trade for Connor Hellebuyck.
Not unlike John Chayka in Toronto, Mehta has been calculating and aggressive in the trade market early in his tenure. (We like the Luke Evangelista acquisition for Jersey, too.)
Loved the rookie GM’s response to the idea that he generally didn’t trust goalie data. Because of Hellebuyck’s large sample size of regular-season success and consistent availability, the two-time Vezina winner is a smart bet for the poker shark. And the goalie is off to a fine start.
Mehta also mentioned that the publicly available models used to evaluate goaltending performance are different (read: less sophisticated) than the 14 different expected-goals models the Devils’ staff uses.
Fourteen.
Man does research.
9. Not a fan of how Hellebuyck forced his way out of Winnipeg, but it’s hard not to appreciate his sense of humour.
Rushing to pick up an outfit for the New Jersey Devils’ Halloween party on two hours’ notice, the goaltender selected an ATM costume.
Why?
“I’m going to let you guess on that one,” he told The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.
Nicely done.
10. Larkin is the latest star willing to leave money on the table in an effort to force a trade away from the team to which he still owes five years of service.
What a gong show this has devolved into.
Think Detroit’s stripped captain got booed aggressively on opening night? His return game, for whoever it is, will be ugly.
Likely, there is more to this story than we know, which is that the player would prefer to play for a U.S.-based Cup contender.
But Larkin has declined to detail his reasons for demanding out. So, on the surface this mess falls on him for now. The goodwill for showing up and playing while Shawn Horcoff worked the phones has gone poof.
The interim GM is facing a fascinating month, with RFA Simon Edvinsson’s signing deadline looming Dec. 1. Buckle with a weak trade on either front, and future Wings will know he can be strong-armed.
Horcoff has every right to play hardball.
11. Cool stat for Bruins rookie James Hagens, who ranks second among all NHL forwards with 16 blocked shots, despite averaging less ice time (13:10) than any other forward in the category’s top 10.
“It’s definitely something I try to take pride in,” Hagens told reporters. “When a guy is getting ready to shoot, if that’s your guy, you’re going to make sure that you’re in the shooting lane.”
That Hagens also ranks second among all freshmen in plus/minus (plus-6) and has piled more points (10) than any rookie outside McKenna is impressive.
And they say that stud forwards entering the league find it challenging to play without the puck.
12. Following Matthew Schaefer’s playing 32:16, including all five minutes of overtime, in Tuesday’s 4-3 shootout win over Nashville, the record-setting Energizer defenceman received this text from Brad Marchand:
I guess the 3-on-3 is paying off.
Schaefer explained to Long Island reporters that he competes in summertime 3-on-3 mini games every Friday with the likes of Marchand and others.
Each 3-on-3 game lasts five minutes before a break.
Yes, Peter DeBoer called a timeout in there, but Schaefer became the first skater to play all five minutes of OT and broke Casey Cizikas’s record (4:50, March 9, 2023) for the longest shift recorded by an Islander.
