Nikita Kucherov has informed the Tampa Bay Lightning that he will not re-sign with the team and wants to be traded, according to anonymous league sources cited in multiple reports Friday. The news comes just days after the 33-year-old Russian winger became the franchise's all-time leading scorer, passing Steven Stamkos atop the Lightning's career points list.
Kucherov and his agent, Dan Milstein, delivered the message directly to Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois during a Friday meeting, according to The Athletic, which reported that Kucherov will not be re-signing with Tampa Bay and would like to be traded. The outlet also reported that Kucherov told his teammates about the decision on the team plane. As first reported by Sportsnet and later confirmed by the Associated Press, via FOX40, a source spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are private.
Kucherov is in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract he signed in 2018, and he is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, according to Click2Houston. He carries a $9.5 million salary-cap hit and holds a modified no-trade clause that lets him submit a list of 10 approved destinations, per the same Athletic report. Spotrac lists his 2026-27 pay as a $4 million base salary plus a $3 million signing bonus against that $9.5 million cap figure.
A Franchise Legend Asks Out
The timing stings for Tampa Bay. Kucherov notched his 1,138th NHL point to become the Lightning's all-time leading scorer on Oct. 24, according to NHL.com, a milestone that had fans and the franchise celebrating about six days before his trade request was reported on Oct. 30. He is the NHL's reigning MVP, a two-time Hart Trophy winner and three-time scoring champion, having led the league in scoring during the 2018-19, 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, the Athletic report notes.
Career totals around that scoring milestone vary slightly by outlet: the Athletic report credits Kucherov with 405 goals and 734 assists in 891 NHL games, while TSN lists him with 405 goals and 1,139 points in 891 career games. Kucherov has four goals and 15 points through 12 games so far this season, according to TSN. He helped the Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, cementing his place among the franchise's most decorated players.
From Extension Talks to Trade Demand
The reversal marks a sharp turn from where things stood as recently as September. BriseBois said at the time that the goal was to get Kucherov signed to a new deal that keeps him around for years to come, according to The Hockey News. BriseBois also said the team would circle back to Kucherov's representative once there was something to announce.
Those extension talks followed a dominant 2025-26 campaign in which Kucherov finished second in the NHL with 130 points on 44 goals and 86 assists in 76 games and won his second career Hart Trophy, according to NHL.com. He has also reached 100 assists in a season, the outlet reported. Since debuting in 2013, his point total ranks third among all NHL players over that span, trailing only Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, per Click2Houston.
No Destination Confirmed, No Lightning Comment Yet
Despite the trade request, no report has identified where Kucherov wants to land. Heavy.com, which floated a speculative package built around Carolina sending forwards William Carrier and Eric Robinson, center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and prospects Bradly Nadeau and Joel Nystrom to Tampa Bay, was explicit that there is no indication of where Kucherov wants a trade. That scenario remains unconfirmed speculation rather than a reported offer.
The Lightning had not returned a message seeking comment by the time the Associated Press report published Friday, according to Click2Houston. The situation now leaves Tampa Bay weighing how to handle its newly minted career scoring leader, one of the league's most productive players, as he enters the stretch run toward unrestricted free agency wanting out.
