Kings land on a guessed Nikita Kucherov trade list

A Hot Take Hockey guess puts the Kings on Nikita Kucherov's 10-team trade list, a wild idea for a team sitting 30th in the NHL.

Kucherov's contract with the Lightning runs through 2026-27, and he's set to hit unrestricted free agency at expiry. No extension has been signed. That's the backdrop for any trade chatter around him, and the reason this kind of list gets written at all.

He's also producing. Kucherov has 18 points in 13 games this season, and his career total sits at 1141 points.

Keep in mind this is a guess, not a report. Nothing in the post says Tampa Bay is moving him or that anyone has talked.

Hot Take Hockey's list names the Stars, Panthers, Golden Knights, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Kings, Mammoth, Sharks, Wild and Avalanche. Los Angeles shares it with San Jose, and those two meet Wednesday.

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The Kings come into this one on a rough note. They lost 2-3 to Buffalo on Saturday night and sit at 4-7-2.

Why Kucherov would fit the Kings' scoring problem

Los Angeles has scored 36 goals and allowed 45, a goal differential of -9. At home, the Kings are 1-4-0, which is not how Peter Laviolette wants to be starting a season.

Kucherov would address the offense, no argument there. A right winger with 4 power-play assists already could make a difference on a team that can't find goals at the Kings' building.

But the cost matters. Ken Holland would be looking at a $9.5 million cap hit for a 33-year-old on a deal that ends after this season, and the roster around him is 30th in the league. Chasing that kind of move now looks like a bad use of assets.

Contenders on the list look very different. The Panthers are 8-4-2 and 10th overall, while the Stars and Avalanche both sit at 8-5-1. That's the competition for any Kucherov conversation.

The Kings host the Sharks on Wednesday. Until the results turn, a spot on this list says more about the idea than about the standings.

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