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Nikita Kucherov: Three Teams to Watch Closely (According to David Pagnotta)
Marc-Olivier Cook
Nikita Kucherov: Three Teams to Watch Closely (According to David Pagnotta)

Unless there's a major turnaround, Nikita Kucherov is set to leave the Tampa Bay Lightning.

At this point, we know where the player stands.

But the question on everyone's lips right now is this: Which team will he join next?

Earlier this week, Pierre LeBrun compiled a list of 10 teams to consider in the Russian player's case. I invite you to read the article we published on DLC about this topic.

That said, David Pagnotta primarily discussed three clubs during an appearance on the Leafs Morning Take podcast: the insider mentioned the Rangers, the Blackhawks, and the Kraken as teams that are likely to be very aggressive in their pursuit of “Kuch.”

Kucherov in Seattle? I don't buy it: several star players have refused to go there even when the Kraken was throwing big money at them to lure them to the city. Just think of Jason Robertson and Artemi Panarin…

Kucherov to Chicago? I believe that even less: even though the guy says he wants to play with a superstar (the Blackhawks have one in Connor Bedard), the team is poorly managed and has been treading water for the past few years.

But Kucherov to New York, to the Big Apple—that could make sense on some levels.

He'd be playing in a major market, and the Rangers have a reputation as a team that always seems capable of making big moves—both in free agency and on the trade market.

We can agree on one thing: the Kucherov saga isn't going to end tomorrow morning, and we're likely to hear a ton of rumors like this one before the matter is settled.

But for now, it gives us a good opportunity to discuss where he'll continue his career.

In Brief

– It's going to be good.

– Stay tuned.

– 100%.

– Wow.