Bruce Boudreau answers the Kucherov to Toronto question

Bruce Boudreau told Nick Alberga on Monday that Nikita Kucherov to the Maple Leafs isn't happening, and he didn't soften it.

Kucherov's contract with the Lightning expires after this season and he's set to be an unrestricted free agent. That's why July 1 chatter keeps following him, and why Toronto's name keeps getting thrown into it.

The noise has been building for days. Pierre LeBrun putting the Golden Knights in the mix was the latest push on Monday, and every new name seems to bring a new round of speculation.

It's easy to see why teams are lining up in the rumor mill. Kucherov has 18 points in 13 games this season, so his price on the open market only goes up from here.

Tampa Bay is 8-3-2 and ninth in the NHL, with Detroit visiting tonight. Nothing in the sheet says an extension has been signed, which is exactly why the sweepstakes talk won't die.

Alberga joked that he'd rather keep the cap space for Connor McDavid anyway, then asked Boudreau about Kucherov in Toronto and got this: "There's not a chance in hell he's coming to Toronto."

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One man's answer isn't a decision. Kucherov hasn't picked a destination as far as anyone has reported, and a blunt quote doesn't change what a player of his caliber can do once the market opens.

Where Kucherov's preferences point instead

According to an NHL source who spoke to RG.org, Kucherov's wish list of three linemates includes McDavid, Auston Matthews and David Pastrnak. Toronto isn't named as a destination in any of that reporting.

McDavid is the name Alberga's joke circled back to. He has 39 points in 15 games for an Oilers team that is 11-2-2 and second in the NHL, so the idea of those two sharing a line is the kind that keeps July 1 talk alive.

Toronto fans chasing this one are spending energy in the wrong place. The Leafs are 8-6-2 and sixth in the Atlantic, and the more interesting question is whether Tampa lets its star reach the market at all.

The Leafs host Utah tonight, and the Lightning have Detroit. Free agency opens July 1, and until then every comment, from Boudreau or anyone else, is just another data point in a long wait.

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