Flyers May Have Already Been Ruled Out of Nikita Kucherov Sweepstakes

With nearly $13 million in cap space already in the bank, the Philadelphia Flyers have the ability and long-term flexibility to go out and sign any top NHL player when the time comes, but it takes two to tango.

That much has been true on both sides of the coin for the Flyers this year. The Flyers, of course, signed Leo Carlsson to a $90 million offer sheet with an $18 million AAV in the summer, and conversely, Dylan Larkin refuses to add Philadelphia to his list of approved trade destinations.

The good news is that another superstar forward could shake loose: on Friday, it was revealed that Nikita Kucherov had requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The bad news is that ensuing reporting indirectly indicates the Flyers aren't going to be a fit when it comes down to it.

"Negotiations between the Lightning and Nikita Kucherov’s camp remained far apart. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, and is due for potentially double his $9.5 million AAV," ESPN NHL insider Emily Kaplan reported Friday night. "Kucherov let his teammates know of his decision today. He has a modified no trade clause, which allows him to give a list of 10 approved teams."

The kicker is that, even with his trade protection, Kucherov has an idea of where he wants to go, and that will deter teams, such as the Flyers, from paying major assets for a player who won't re-sign with them.

Of course, the Flyers are winless in 12 of their first 15 games this season, so while they might be able to satisfy Kucherov's financial wishes, they are a massive downgrade from the Lightning in their current state on the ice.

And speaking of on the ice, their roster construction won't be up to par, either.

Added Kaplan: "Believe Kucherov has his eyes set on playing with another one of the league's top superstars and has a few players/teams in mind. We’ll see what moves the Lightning can, or are willing to, pull off."

To be frank, the Flyers very clearly do not have one of the NHL's top superstars. Unless Kucherov is chasing strictly money, the Flyers don't have much they can offer, and even then, teams with similar amounts of cap space, namely Carolina, can make a competitive offer in the same vein.

The closest thing the Flyers have to a superstar is 21-year-old winger Matvei Michkov, who plays the same position as Kucherov with a near-identical style of play.

Kucherov, who is now 33, would surely inhibit Michkov's growth by stepping into a featured role at 5-on-5 and on the power play - the exact kind of move the Flyers should be avoiding in the position they're in.

Considering everything - age, salary demands, competitive aspirations, and star teammates - the Flyers are plainly not a fit for Kucherov.