Kent Hughes and the Canadiens: inside the two-player puzzle

Nikita Kucherov is reportedly willing to come to the Canadiens, and the St-Louis connection is a big reason the idea has legs.

Montreal is 10-3-3 and second in the Atlantic Division, with a game in Toronto tonight. Yet the loudest trade conversation around the Canadiens this week is about a star they don't have.

Kucherov and Martin St-Louis go back to 2013-14, Kucherov's rookie season, when they were teammates with the Tampa Bay Lightning. That relationship matters when a player is deciding where he'd be willing to land.

Dylan Larkin is a different story. A member of the U.S. team that won Olympic gold this year, he gave the Detroit Red Wings a list of 10 teams he'd accept a trade to under his no-trade clause. He has made it pretty clear he has no interest in playing in Canada, so don't expect to see him in a Canadiens jersey.

You can't really compare the two situations. Larkin has five seasons left on a contract with an $8.7 million cap hit, and he has handcuffed the Red Wings. He has refused to play for Detroit until he's traded, even though he willingly signed that long-term deal.

Kucherov is in the final season of a deal with a $9.5 million cap hit, and he can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He keeps playing for the Lightning, with 20 points in 15 games, but he has told the team he won't re-sign.

Frank Seravalli's report on Tampa's deadline stance said the Lightning are telling other teams they won't move Kucherov at the deadline. Tampa Bay is 10-3-2 and beat Chicago 4-1 on Thursday, so the standings aren't forcing anyone's hand.

The Lightning clock on Kucherov is running

It's up to Lightning GM Julien BriseBois now. He can trade Kucherov or risk losing him for nothing as a free agent.

Holding a player who has already said he's leaving is the riskier play, and it's not close. Kucherov and the Lightning are not Larkin and the Red Wings, because Kucherov still shows up and produces, but that only raises what Tampa could get back.

Chris Johnston reported Thursday that Kucherov won't leave the Lightning the way Larkin did. Tampa Bay visits Minnesota tonight, and every game before the deadline adds pressure on BriseBois to pick a side.

Quick hits

BOSTON BRUINS: Conor Ryan just reported that the Bruins have placed James Hagens on injured reserve and recalled Mikey Eyssimont from Providence. A roster shuffle Boston didn't need.

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MINNESOTA WILD: Michael Russo reports that Michael McCarron is questionable for tonight against the Lightning after he did not finish the Wild's win over the Sharks.

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FLORIDA PANTHERS: Jameson Olive posted a Reino moment from the Panthers' morning in Washington, hours before the matinee against the Capitals. Pregame routines are always good content.

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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: Prospect Xavier Villeneuve is making his own noise in the NCAA, and he told Marco Damico he doesn't want to be anyone else's comp. Good for him.

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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Coach Jim Hiller spoke this morning about Gavin McKenna and had plenty to say about the 18-year-old's play without the puck ahead of tonight's game.

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John Tavares back for Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens