Does a Critical Comment From Kucherov Help a Team Like the Oilers?

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“It was never about the money for me,” Kucherov told media members Monday in Tampa Bay. He was asked why he made the trade request. “It was more about poor communication and respect. The last four months, we’ve had two conversations. Julien made it clear that I’m free to walk on July 1.”

In other words, the Lightning felt they’d drawn a line in the sand, didn’t feel like talking about it any longer, and essentially told Kucherov, ‘There’s the door’, and dared him to walk through it. His comments suggest he’s about to do just that. When asked if there was a chance to repairing the clearly soured relationship, he said, “I’ve made my request.”

That one line could help a team like the Edmonton Oilers. They would love to add Kucherov, but all other things being equal, don’t really have the trade assets or money to land him in free agency. But things aren’t equal.

First, it sounds like Kucherov is willing to consider the AAV on his next deal for the right fit, within reason, of course. Second,, reports are that he wants to play with a superstar.  “He wants to be the top scorer every year and play on a team with McDavid or Matthews or Pastrnak, plus in a big market, so people talk about how good he is,” the source told RG.org.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan also reported that Kucherov would like to play with another of the league’s top stars and has specific players and teams in mind. Bob Stauffer also reported that Kucherov’s agent, Dan Milstein, has teams in mind and he’s a big fan of head coach Mike Babcock.

“It’s Never Been About the Money”

We should take what Kucherov says here with a bit of a grain of salt. We all know that it is about the money, to some degree. If it wasn’t, this situation in Tampa wouldn’t be playing out as it is. Kucherov wants to be paid like a top-tier player, and the back-and-forth numbers suggest he wants somewhere in the $20 million range. He’s not about to take $12 or $13 to join the Oilers.

But would he be open to a shorter-term deal? Is he stuck on the six-year deal? If he’s willing to take a little less for a slightly shorter time frame, that opens the door for the Oilers. Otherwise, they might not be in the running.

It’s probably still a long shot. However, if he’s saying money isn’t his priority, that’s a line the Oilers should explore a bit more.

Next: Kucherov’s Situation Raises an Old Question for Canadian Teams