![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1794461231_847_chicago-blackhawks-v-tampa-bay-lightning-tampa-florida-november-05-nikita-e1794007971434.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
TAMPA, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning looks on against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at Benchmark International Arena on November 05, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Stobe\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The NHL on TNT crew shared their honest thoughts on the ongoing situation surrounding Nikita Kucherov<\/a>\u2018s future with the Lightning<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kucherov could be on the way out after miscommunication led to him requesting a trade. He is coming off a Hart Trophy win last season and was not pleased with what Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois offered him.<\/p>\n Kucherov was reportedly offered an extension with an AAV of $13 million. He was later presented with a revised offer that would see him earn a $15 million AAV.<\/p>\n The miscommunication and offers led to Kucherov\u2019s agent issuing a statement indicating that he will hit the free agent market.<\/p>\n Now, the NHL on TNT crew weighed in with their predictions about whether the situation will be resolved. They even discussed whether Kucherov could ultimately re-sign.<\/p>\n Insiders Share Honest Take on Nikita Kucherov\u2019s Future With the Lightning<\/p>\n The NHL<\/a> on TNT crew were brutally honest about the possibility that Nikita Kucherov could be playing his final season as a Lightning player.<\/p>\n Former NHLer Anson Carter<\/a> acknowledged Kucherov\u2019s ability to be a difference-maker. Carter pointed to the Russian\u2019s age and skill level, urging the Lightning management to pay him what he is worth.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got to figure out a way to pay [Kucherov], because to your point, if he was a guy that [was] 38, 39 years old, wants to get paid based on what he did before, I\u2019d say, \u2018Not happening,’\u201d Carter said during the NHL on TNT broadcast.<\/p>\n \u201cThis guy is the reigning MVP. And if he leaves Tampa Bay, you\u2019re going to subtract Nikita Kucherov and two other guys because he\u2019s that good. He makes other guys better around him on the half wall on the power play, five-on-five play,\u201d Carter said.<\/p>\n Kucherov is in the final year of his contract, so the Lightning run the risk of losing their all-time for nothing. Tampa already went through a similar situation with former captain Steven Stamkos<\/a>. However, Stamkos was not coming off a Hart Trophy win.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Henrik Lundqvist Urges Lightning to Repair Its Relationship With Kucherov<\/p>\n Henrik Lundqvist<\/a>, a member of the NHL on TNT panel, urged the Lightning organization to repair its relationship with Kucherov.<\/p>\n The former Rangers<\/a> goaltender feels that it is not impossible for all involved to make amends and find common ground. Despite requesting a trade, Kucherov has remained in the Lightning lineup and continued playing.<\/p>\n Kucherov has shown no signs of sitting out until a trade is made, as Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> had done. As a result, Lundqvist believes there is still hope.<\/p>\n \u201cI try to understand when they say, \u2018Beyond repair.\u2019 You ask both sides, I\u2019m sure they want to see him in Tampa, but obviously communication was not great over the summer. And that\u2019s why they\u2019re here right now,\u201d Lundqvist said during the NHL on TNT broadcast.<\/p>\n \u201cI just have a hard time believing you can\u2019t repair this. If you really sit down and talk this through. And yeah, [Kucherov] kind of talked about the respect or lack of respect a little bit. Tampa is looking at the future, obviously, and how much they can pay him. But in the end, he\u2019s MVP of the league last year. He\u2019s still one of the best players in the game. To me, it\u2019s just shocking,\u201d Lundqvist said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tGiancarlo Aulino<\/a> Giancarlo Aulino is sports writer who covers UFC for Heavy.com. He began writing for Heavy in 2025 after providing MMA coverage for Sportskeeda. Giancarlo is an experienced journalist and interviewer, having covered soccer clubs Toronto FC and Inter Toronto FC as a full-season reporter, and also producing sports coverage for Toronto radio station VIBE 105.5FM.
\n More about Giancarlo Aulino<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty TAMPA, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning looks on against the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":705341,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5105],"tags":[5,189,4,540,92,5168,5167],"class_list":["post-709481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-hockey","tag-lightning","tag-nhl","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-tampabay","tag-tampabaylightning"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/117601818804095423","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}