The Tampa Bay Lightning have been one of the most successful teams in the NHL over the past decade, and a lot of that can be attributed to Nikita Kucherov. While the Bolts have acquired a ridiculous amount of talent through the organization in that time, none have been as impactful as Kucherov, who they somehow managed to snag in the second round (58th overall) of the 2011 draft.
With five 100-point seasons, three Art Ross Trophies, two Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy, it’s hard to imagine where Tampa Bay would be without him.
It turns out it almost became a reality, as former Florida Panthers assistant general manager Steve Werier revealed that they got very close to Kucherov during his standoff with the Lightning when he was an RFA in 2016.
Werier said:
“Yeah, so that was a fun one. Kucherov was a restricted free agent; he was eligible for an offer, we, like everyone else, were pretty confident about sticking it with the in-state rival, who at the time had some pretty significant cap issues to deal with. It was a perfect storm, so to speak. I think it was about $7.14 million for the AAV, above which it was a first, second and third round pick as a comp. So we were close of thinking that if we made an offer sheet, that might force Tampa’s hand… Ultimately, we weren’t 100% sure we could get the player,’
Kucherov signed a three-year, $14.3 million extension with the Lightning just before the 2016-17 campaign, marking the start of his development into a true superstar.
Nikita Kucherov was also about to become an oilman
As most fans know, this isn’t the only story about Kucherov almost leaving Tampa Bay.
Jeff Marek also recently revealed that the Oilers and Lightning had discussions about a blockbuster trade involving Kucherov and Leon Draisaitl in 2019, in a deal that would have shocked the hockey world.
Obviously that didn’t work out, although it just goes to show you that even the best players in the world’s situations aren’t always perfect.
Whatever happens, the Lightning should be thankful they didn’t give up on Kucherov after a slow start and playoff failure, because what came next were some of the best moments in franchise history.
Next: Changes are coming as McDavid and Oilers search for answers after another ugly loss
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