Nikita Kucherov Tells Lightning He Won’t Re-sign

(AP) — Reigning NHL MVP Nikita Kucherov informed the Tampa Bay Lightning he is not re-signing with the team and has asked for a trade, a person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press. Kucherov is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, the last of an eight-year, $76 million contract signed in 2018 before he helped Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup twice and led the NHL in scoring three times. General manager Julien BriseBois said the team has no intention of trading Kucherov.