The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens are among the teams Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov would consider as trade destinations, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on "Saturday Headlines."
Kucherov informed the Lightning on Friday that he won't re-sign after the season and wants a trade. The reigning NHL MVP owns a 10-team no-trade clause.
Tampa Bay has "no intention" of trading Kucherov, general manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement Friday.
Kucherov carries a $9.5-million cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
Toronto and Montreal are both in the Atlantic Division with the Lightning.
Kucherov is continuing to play despite the trade request. He has four goals and 18 points in 13 games and notched three assists in Tampa Bay's shootout loss against the Nashville Predators earlier Saturday.
The 33-year-old won the Hart Trophy for the second time last season with 44 goals and 130 points in 76 contests.
Kucherov has spent his entire career with the Lightning, racking up 405 goals and 1,142 points in 892 games. He passed Steven Stamkos to become the franchise's all-time leading scorer Oct. 24. Kucherov won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
