Nikita Kucherov tells Tampa Bay Lightning he wants out, and the franchise has no interest in dealing him
The reigning NHL MVP and Tampa Bay's all-time points leader requested a trade Friday night after contract talks broke down. The Lightning responded with a firm no, and the standoff has no clear resolution.
In brief
The best player in the building says he's done. The team says absolutely not.
Late Friday night, the NHL had its biggest off-ice story of the young season land without warning. ESPN's Emily Kaplan confirmed what Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman first broke: Tampa Bay Lightning star forward Nikita Kucherov has requested a trade, though general manager Julien BriseBois said in a statement that the team has "no intention of trading" him. The 33-year-old winger, arguably the greatest player in Lightning history, wants out. The organization won't budge. Nobody knows what happens next.
Kucherov indicated to the Lightning that he will not re-sign and has requested a trade. He is in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract that carries a $9.5 million cap hit. According to The Athletic's Chris Johnston, Kucherov was seeking a six-year deal with an average annual value in the range of $20 million from the Lightning. The two sides couldn't bridge that gap, and Kucherov decided he'd rather go somewhere that would pay him.
Negotiations between Tampa Bay and Kucherov's camp remained far apart, and that gulf led to a meeting Friday in which Kucherov said he wanted to play elsewhere. He and his agent, Dan Milstein, informed the Lightning's management of the decision Friday evening, and Kucherov told his teammates on the team flight as they head to Nashville to face the Predators on Saturday. Telling your teammates you want out while sitting next to them on a charter flight is not an abstract drama. It's a locker room conversation most NHL players never have to sit through.
Who he is, and what this means
The résumé is not in dispute. Kucherov is a two-time recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, winning it in 2019 and again in 2026. He is the Lightning's all-time points leader: he broke the record October 24, when an assist on Brayden Point's power-play goal gave him the 1,138th point of his career, one more than Steven Stamkos' franchise mark. He has led the league in both assists and points three times during his career.
This season, before any of this erupted, he was sitting at four goals and 15 points in 12 games for a team third in the Atlantic Division at 8-3-1, having won its first six home games. Tampa is genuinely good right now. That's what makes this so strange. Kucherov is not fleeing a sinking ship. He's walking away from a contender because he believes he has earned the right to a different contract, and the Lightning won't give it to him.
Kucherov is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, the last of an eight-year, $76 million deal signed in 2018, before he helped Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup twice and led the NHL in scoring three times. At that salary for that production, the Lightning got an extraordinary bargain. Kucherov knows it. He wants the number corrected.
The team's position, and what the contract says
BriseBois didn't leave any wiggle room. The GM said in a statement: "We are aware of the media reports regarding the future of Nikita Kucherov with the Lightning. We unequivocally have no intention of trading Nikita."
That statement, though firm, is not the whole picture. Kucherov has a modified no-trade clause, which allows him to submit a 10-team list of approved teams for Tampa Bay to negotiate with. He has submitted that list. The Lightning can say they won't trade him, but a 10-team trade list in hand tells a different story about how seriously Kucherov and his camp are treating this. He is not venting to reporters. He is filing paperwork.
Kucherov's agent, Dan Milstein, told ESPN that he will not be commenting on the matter publicly, other than to say he will "stand by Nikita unconditionally." That's lawyer language for: we are prepared to see this through.
Where this could go
Kucherov's trade request comes in the wake of similar demands by the likes of Connor Hellebuyck, Dylan Larkin, and Brady Tkachuk. Several of those standoffs eventually resolved, one way or another. Some players moved. Some stayed and eventually found new deals. None of those involved a player quite at this level of franchise significance for one organization.
Kucherov, a Russian-born winger, has spent his entire 14-year NHL career in Tampa Bay. Drafted 58th overall by the Lightning in 2011, he has 405 goals and 1,139 points in 891 career games. All of them in one jersey. He is the only player in franchise history to win the Hart Trophy twice. Two Stanley Cup rings. Three Art Ross trophies. Every significant statistical record the organization offers.
The NHL's trade deadline is not until March. That is a long time to have your best player and your front office locked in a public standoff. If the Lightning hold firm and refuse to deal him, Kucherov walks as a free agent next July and Tampa gets nothing. If they trade him, they get a haul but admit the dynasty is over. CBS Sports has already identified five potential landing spots, with the Dallas Stars leading the conversation, a team BriseBois would presumably have to call if this ever goes that direction.
For now, the Lightning carry an unhappy superstar onto a flight to Nashville, where they play the Predators Saturday afternoon. Kucherov still has four goals on the season. He still has to play 70-something more games in a uniform he told his teammates he doesn't want to wear past July 1.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
