theathleticuk
Andrei Vasilevskiy, the longtime goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning, has a unique perspective on the situation involving teammate Nikita Kucherov, who recently requested a trade. Having been drafted in consecutive years (Vasilevskiy in 2012, Kucherov in 2011) and sharing in the franchise's two Stanley Cup victories, Vasilevskiy is as close to Kucherov as any player on the roster. Yet, Kucherov's future with the team is uncertain, and Vasilevskiy addressed the matter on Saturday morning.
Kucherov's trade request stemmed from issues regarding communication and respect, and he stated that general manager Julien BriseBois informed him he is free to leave on July 1. Vasilevskiy admitted the news caught him off guard. "I mean, it was a surprise for all of us; maybe I was more prepared for that than other people, but it is still a big surprise for all of us," Vasilevskiy told The Athletic. "Again, there's still a lot of time until July 1st. So we'll just wait and see and we'll hope that something will change."
Kucherov is known for his pride and strong will, and some former teammates believe he will end up playing elsewhere next season. However, Vasilevskiy remains optimistic that a resolution can be found. "Anything is possible nowadays," he said. "I'm not familiar with all the details of what's going on between the two sides. I understand both parts of that deal and I don't want to get too much involved. I just hope that at the end of the day they will figure it out and both parties will be happy."
While Vasilevskiy hopes for a reconciliation, he also has his own future to consider. The 32-year-old netminder is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season, placing him in a similar contractual situation to Kucherov. When asked about his next contract, Vasilevskiy laughed and said, "To be honest, I don't know if I'm worth $25 million, so I think my contract won't be as high. I mean, it'd be great if it will." He then emphasized his desire to remain with the Lightning. "Obviously my goal is to stay here. If I retire here, in this city, it will be my second biggest accomplishment after the Stanley Cup. Because it's like, how many goalies played for one team ever? Only a few. That's definitely one of my biggest accomplishments. It's my goal for sure to stay with this team."
Key Analysis
Vasilevskiy's Hall of Fame resume is already secure, with two Stanley Cup rings, a Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021, and two Vezina Trophies, including one from last season. His point about longevity with a single franchise is well taken: he ranks 19th all-time in career wins by a goaltender with 378 in 610 games. Among the goaltenders ahead of him on that list, only Henrik Lundqvist spent his entire career with one team. Even legends like Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy played for multiple organizations. Joining the ranks of one-team goaltenders would hold special meaning for Vasilevskiy.
"I think it's just so cool when you're drafted and you play your full career for one organization," Vasilevskiy said. "It says a lot about you as a person, as an athlete, obviously. That means they feel you were such a big piece of that organization, of that team, that they basically, it's stuck with you for 20 years. So, yeah, that'll be something to me for sure; it will mean a lot."
Another milestone on Vasilevskiy's radar is reaching 1,000 games played. Only four goaltenders have achieved that feat: Marc-Andre Fleury, Brodeur, Roy, and Roberto Luongo. Vasilevskiy has calculated that he would need to play at least 55 games per season over the next seven years to reach that number. "For sure, 1,000 games would be unreal, but I don't know," he said. "It depends on my health, mentally, physically. I know I'm sitting just over 600 now; it's a little less than 400. So we'll see. It probably goes fast. But I still have to play more and more. We'll see. It's just in my head right now."
Originally reported by theathleticuk.