Pagnotta names three Kucherov suitors, one with a max offer ready

David Pagnotta just put three teams on the board in the Nikita Kucherov sweepstakes, and one of them would pay the maximum to get him.

The Lightning star's trade request has dominated the league conversation all week, and the list of possible landing spots keeps growing. Pagnotta added his own names on the Leafs Morning Take from Monday.

According to Pagnotta, the Rangers "would be all over him." He said the same about a team like Chicago. As for Seattle, he believes the Kraken "would throw him the max contract to get him."

Those are three very different teams in three very different spots. The Rangers are 8-7-1 and sit third in the Metropolitan Division. They have won only one road game all season, though they are 7-2-0 at home.

Chicago is another story. The Blackhawks are 4-10-1 and 31st in the NHL, with a goal differential of -25. They are on the road tonight in Florida after losing 2-5 to Colorado on Monday.

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Seattle sits in between at 8-5-1, third in the Pacific Division, with a goal differential of 0. The Kraken host Calgary tonight.

Why Seattle and Chicago make the most sense on paper

Kucherov is 33 years old, and the contract that carries a $9,500,000 cap hit expires after this season. Any team that trades for him is buying a player who will hit unrestricted free agency, unless an extension gets done first. That is why Pagnotta's Seattle comment matters most.

The sheet shows no extension signed. A club willing to hand over the max is a club that sees him as more than a rental.

He is still producing. Kucherov has 20 points in 14 games this season, and he added two assists in Tuesday's 4-2 win over Detroit.

Pagnotta isn't the only insider pushing names. Pierre LeBrun pointed to Vegas as a team to watch on Monday, and Pagnotta himself said Kucherov genuinely likes Montreal in a separate report.

Then there is the money question in Tampa. LeBrun revealed Tuesday that the Lightning made two contract offers to Kucherov before the trade request, according to The Athletic.

Chicago is the odd fit. A team 31st in the league that has lost three straight is hard to picture as the destination for a 33-year-old chasing a contender, and Kucherov holds the leverage in that decision. Rebuilding clubs rarely win those conversations.

The Rangers look like the more logical home, though their road record shows a team that still has real questions. Mike Sullivan's group plays Philadelphia on Thursday, and every night Kucherov stays in Tampa keeps this list growing.

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