Nikita Kucherov is red-hot since trade request

Usually, when a player says that he wants to leave a team, he will sulk and trudge through games, or simply not play at all.

However, that has not been the case with Nikita Kucherov.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that the Tampa Bay Lightning legend made a trade request, as he reportedly wouldn’t re-sign with the only team he has ever known. While the announcement sent shockwaves through the league, it did little to deter the 33-year-old’s play. In the six games since the news broke, Kucherov has been on fire, scoring five goals and 11 points across six games, including a hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton break down Kucherov’s incredible play since it came out that he wanted out of town.

Carter Hutton: It’s been a show of talent so far, and I think this is one of those where you kind of kick the hornet’s nest, this is what you’re going to get. He was pretty clear about how he felt the way that he was treated, and it wasn’t about the money; it was about the disrespect. I think that factor is, now, he is playing with that edge and that fire, and there’s different players are motivated in different ways, and you have to find ways to do it. I think that’s what we’re seeing right now from Kucherov, is the fact that he’s motivated to be the best possible player that he can be, and to show BriseBois and his team he’s not turning on them, he’s not checking out, he’s just going to use this as fuel. Right now is a great example of a team that went into Buffalo and just absolutely waxed them last night. That is a big win and a statement win for the Lightning.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…