If Nikita Kucherov hits the open market this summer, a long line of teams will be interested in making a pitch for his services, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Boston Bruins are among them. In fact, it wouldn't be too surprising if at least 32 teams kick the tires, and while people may scoff at what the Bruins would be doing in those sweepstakes, let's not shoot them down so quickly.
Kucherov doesn't seem like the type of player who values anything other than fitting into an organization and whether that team can win him a Stanley Cup. There may be teams closer than the Bruins right now, but it's hard to deny the future of the team that is quickly building and will easily fit inside the window of Kucherov's contract.
Last year's Hart Trophy winner is seeking a deal that lands around six years, $120 million, and with the way the Bruins' youth looks this season, they'll likely be Stanley Cup contenders within that window. Add in David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman, and the organization's commitment to winning that core a championship, and Kucherov should be taking a long, hard look.
Nikita Kucherov's natural fit on a team
Elliotte Friedman raised an interesting point on Monday's 32 Thoughts podcast, which got me thinking about Kucherov's potential with the Bruins. The insider commented on how Kucherov will seek a fit that is perfect for him, and mentioned a Dylan Larkin-for-Kucherov swap, as the Russian might value joining a powerplay that has Moritz Seider up top and Lucas Raymond on the left flank, similar to what he had in Tampa Bay with Darren Raddysh last season and Steven Stamkos for years before that.
Raymond and Seider are great, but you can't tell me that Pastrnak and McAvoy in those similar spots wouldn't be an obvious fit for the Russian playmaker. Add in potentially Morgan Geekie in the bumper, and Kucherov has three heavy shots to hit for one-timers. It would keep James Hagens away from PP1 in his natural spot on the flank, but he has been good enough in front of the net at five-on-five that it'd be interesting to see what he could do in that role in a Kucherov powerplay.
Consider this: three one-time options for Kucherov, and when penalty killers start to cheat out to those passing lanes, he hits Hagens down low, who uses his quick hands and tucks a puck under the bar. There have been worse ideas.
Emily Kaplan's "superstar" report
ESPN's Emily Kaplan also had an interesting report about Kucherov wanting to play with a superstar on his next deal. Ironically, Bruins superstar David Pastrnak could really use another superstar to play with up front to ease some of the pressure on his shoulders. Could Pastrnak move to the left side with Kucherov on the right side? There aren't many better superstars for Kucherov to play with who would fit that well.
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