Montreal Canadiens

"The CH players left money on the table to acquire Nikita Kucherov"
Félix Forget
"The CH players left money on the table to acquire Nikita Kucherov"
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Nikita Kucherov has no intention of playing for the Lightning in 2027–28. And of course, ever since we learned this, people have been wondering where he might end up.

And given that many people are linking the Canadiens to this situation, it's grabbing people's attention around town.

We suspect that if Kucherov comes to town, it could cost quite a bit. Even if Tony Marinaro is right and the annual salary is less than $20 million, Kucherov would likely earn significantly more than the team's current highest-paid player, Noah Dobson ($9.5 million per year).

But in reality, as Brian Wilde points out, it's for opportunities like this that the Canadiens' players have left money on the table. They didn't do it out of the goodness of their hearts—they did it so that Kent Hughes would be able to land a big name like Kucherov.

And the Russian forward would be quite the gift to the current core.

We know that sooner or later, the Habs' current core will demand a pay raise. Starting in 2030, those pay raises will start coming… which should create a certain sense of urgency in Montreal.

That doesn't mean Kent Hughes has to go all-in right now—we're on the same page there. But continuing to let the opportunity pass also comes with a risk: the guys who signed at a discount to help the GM land a big name might regret it if that big name never materializes.

The Kucherov case is the one everyone's talking about, given that he's available and clearly interested in Montreal. But whether it's Kuch or someone else (Connor McDavid, for example), it's safe to say that the current front office's big move will eventually have to materialize.

The players have done their part; now it's up to management to do theirs. And let's just say that signing Kucherov would be a great way to make that happen.

In Brief

– The Rocket (and Luke Mittelstadt) continue to perform well.

– That's right.

– Hey, guys!

– Artturi Lehkonen, the next Darren Raddysh?

– Good point, hehe.