Nikita Kucherov reportedly selects 3 players who he wants to play alongside in the NHL

An NHL source told RG.org that Nikita Kucherov wants to play with Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews or David Pastrnak.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the 33-year-old wants to lead the league in scoring every year. He also wants to do it in a market big enough to keep him in the conversation.

Our earlier story on Nikita Kucherov's possible Maple Leafs landing carried the same caveat as this one: nothing is confirmed.

The timing matters because the Lightning winger is playing on a contract that expires at the end of this season, listed as an unrestricted free agent at expiry. He has 18 points in 13 games, including 4 goals.

Now look at the three names. McDavid has 39 points in 15 games, which is 21 more than Kucherov. Matthews has 11 goals in 16 games for Toronto, and Pastrnak has 19 points in 15 for Boston.

Wanting the scoring title every year while lining up next to McDavid is a contradiction. Somebody's totals go down, and it won't be the guy with 39 points.

Darren Dreger said a Kucherov deal with the Maple Leafs could start with the Lightning asking for Matthews, and that's the Darren Dreger Lightning-Matthews report that set this week's talk in motion.

Three contenders, three very different fits

Edmonton is 11-2-2 and second in the NHL, and McDavid's deal runs through 2027-28. The Oilers also sit 7-0-0 on the road, which tells you how little they'd need to add.

Boston is 10-4-1 and first in the Atlantic. Pastrnak's contract is the longest of the three, running through 2030-31. Toronto is 8-6-2 and sixth in the same division, and it would be the market with the loudest spotlight.

Tampa Bay is 8-3-2 and fourth in the Atlantic, so the Lightning aren't a team in free fall. They lost 5-4 in a shootout at Nashville on Saturday, and they host Detroit on Tuesday.

Kucherov's career numbers put him in the same room as the three stars he reportedly wants to join.

He has 1141 points over 892 games, and McDavid has 1259 points over 809. That gap is small enough that Kucherov can argue he belongs on that list.

The Bruins host Vegas tonight, and Kucherov's next game is Tuesday against the Red Wings. Until his contract situation is settled, every one of those games will be read through this report.

Also read on Markerzone.com:
Reputable source believes Nikita Kucherov's decision on which team he will join is already made: Maple Leafs