Report: Lightning's Nikita Kucherov 'not linked' to the Oilers

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov dropped a bombshell on the NHL when he made a trade request late last week. Kucherov's a dynamic forward who will be a highly coveted trade chip in the league. 

The buzz surrounding Kucherov is just starting, and for agent Dan Millstein, he'll have to field questions regularly regarding his client's status. He was a guest on the Oilers  TV broadcast and took questions from

Oilers personality Gene Principe. Principe asked Millstein whether or not the Oilers are in on Kucherov. 

According to the clip, there was nothing linking the team and Kucherov in a possible trade in the future, despite Millstein having a good relationship with the Oilers front office. 

The Oilers are unlikely to make a move for Nikita Kucherov; still, it's fun to dream! This clip from Post-Gaming is presented by @bet365ca https://t.co/KT5QPfTbhl

— Daily Faceoff Edmonton (@dfoedmonton) November 2, 2026

Like a common news cycle we see surrounding superstar players in the NHL who make trade request, the rumor mill will buzz until something major happens. 

General manager Julien Brisebois of the Lightning stated that the Lightning won't be trading Kucherov, despite his frustration with the team, which led to a trade request. 

As it stands now, the Oilers may be out of the running already, as they have $157K in salary cap space, with Stan Bowman at the helm. In order to be close enough to trading for Kucherov and offering him an extension, they would have to offload a significant amount of talent to free up the money. 

Kucherov makes $9.5 million AAV against the Lightning's cap and asked for a significant percentage more at $20 million AAV, per TSN's Christ Johnston. He previously turned down a four-year $15 million AAV deal, which led to the trade request. 

As a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Hart Trophy winner, it's difficult to see him stick around in Tampa Bay when there will be greener pastures elsewhere.