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![\"Tampa](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/691046.webp\" "\\"Tampa")
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Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tGreg Wyshynski suggests that Nikita Kucherov<\/a> would be willing to play for the Montreal Canadiens, and that Tampa Bay could then set its sights on Dylan Larkin<\/a>.<\/p>\n The ESPN hockey insider has floated a three-team trade involving the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings, with Dylan Larkin at the center of the proposed arrangement.<\/p>\n Under Wyshynski’s hypothetical scenario, Montreal would abandon its pursuit of Larkin and acquire Kucherov instead. Tampa Bay would receive the trade package the Canadiens had originally prepared for Detroit.<\/p>\n The Lightning would then flip that same package to the Red Wings to acquire Larkin themselves. It’s an unusual chain of moves, but Wyshynski is presenting it strictly as a thought experiment, not a developing agreement.<\/p>\n For Kent Hughes, the possibility of landing Kucherov instead of Larkin would completely change the conversation. One is an elite scoring winger, while the other is a center who could address Montreal’s long-term needs down the middle.<\/p>\n Nikita Kucherov would change everything for Montreal<\/p>\n Kucherov has recorded 15 points in 12 games this season, including 11 assists. His career production is even more impressive, with 1,139 points in 891 NHL appearances.<\/p>\n Larkin, meanwhile, has scored just 2 goals through 10 games. Kucherov has outproduced him by nine points despite appearing in only two more contests.<\/p>\n Their contracts also present very different commitments. Kucherov carries a $9.5 million annual cap hit through 2026-27, while Larkin earns $8.7 million per season on a deal extending through 2030-31.<\/p>\n Montreal would be acquiring a 33-year-old winger approaching unrestricted free agency rather than a 30-year-old center under contract for several more seasons. That’s a major distinction for a Canadiens team still shaping its future.<\/p>\n Wyshynski explained the proposed sequence in a social media post, making clear that the entire arrangement was theoretical.<\/p>\n The biggest unanswered question is whether Tampa Bay would have any interest in exchanging Kucherov for Larkin. There’s no confirmed indication that the Lightning are pursuing such a move.<\/p>\n Both clubs are also enjoying strong starts. Montreal sits at 8-3-2 following a 5-2 victory over Dallas, while Tampa Bay owns an 8-3-1 record after defeating Winnipeg 6-4.<\/p>\n The Canadiens have won four straight games heading into their matchup against Pittsburgh. They aren’t facing immediate pressure to shake up the roster, making Wyshynski’s proposal fascinating to consider but far from an actual trade.<\/p>\n Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics<\/p>\n POLL<\/p>\n 10 HOURS AGO|364 ANSWERS<\/p>\n Nikita Kucherov could land with the Canadiens in massive three-team trade proposal<\/p>\n Should the Canadiens prioritize Nikita Kucherov over Dylan Larkin?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Greg Wyshynski suggests that Nikita Kucherov would be willing to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272622,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[30930,76708,50,269,6112,76709,2496],"class_list":["post-272621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-dylan-larkin","tag-greg-wyshynski","tag-montreal","tag-montreal-canadiens","tag-nikita-kucherov","tag-shawn-horcoff","tag-tampa-bay-lightning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}