A little unexpected Friday afternoon Friedge bomb: According to Elliotte Friedman, Nikita Kucherov has informed the Tampa Bay Lightning that he won't re-sign with the team and has also asked to be traded. In response, the Lightning have released a statement denying that they plan to trade Kucherov, who is expected to continue playing as normal. More to come on this story, I'm sure.

Kucherov is in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $9.5 million, an amount that could double with his next contract. The assumption until now has been that he and the Lightning would find a way to agree to an extension. However, it is believed that Kucherov and the Lightning are far apart in negotiations, which has played a major part in Kucherov's desire to be moved. The Bolts are in a tight cap situation, which may have limited what they can offer Kucherov.

Although he might be on the back half of his career at 33 years of age, Kucherov is one of a small subset of players to regularly reach the 100-point mark. Since the 2022-23 season, only Connor McDavid has more points than Kucherov (523 PTS in 329 GP). Kucherov has 15 points in 12 games this season, so he should drastically improve any team he is traded to.

A Kucherov trade will have sizeable fantasy implications, and it could even happen sometime this season. It won't be the first major trade of the season, as the player empowerment era is resulting in numerous star players calling for new destinations. Following the Connor Hellebuyck blockbuster, Dylan Larkin is waiting at home for a deal that could drop any day now. Then there's Quinn Hughes – does anyone know what is happening with him? Fascinating times.

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Jack Hughes and Arseny Gritsyuk each scored two goals in the New Jersey Devils' 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. The two linemates combined for 15 shots and a plus-7 in this game: seven shots and plus-4 for Hughes, and eight shots and plus-3 for Gritsyuk. Hughes is scoring at over a point per game and has four goals and seven points in his last five games, while Gritsyuk has eight goals and 12 points over his last 11 games.

We know the deal with Hughes, who is rostered everywhere and could be the MVP of many fantasy teams if he can go an entire season without getting injured. Let's turn our attention to Gritsyuk, whose value has spiked with his addition to the Hughes-Jesper Bratt line. Gritsyuk (33% Yahoo/59% Fantrax) is worth adding where available, but most of his advanced stats show higher-than-normal numbers that could drop, particularly a 22.9 SH%, a 9.7 5-on-5 SH%, and 3.3 PTS/60. He should continue to produce on the Devils' top line, but perhaps not quite at this early-season pace.

Connor Hellebuyck made 19 saves while allowing two goals. He has now earned wins and quality starts in both of his games with the Devils. So far, so good with his new team.

Fantasy Take: Winnipeg Trades Hellebuyck to New Jersey

Mitch Marner assisted on both Golden Knights' goals. He now has 11 points over his last eight games and is over a point per game for the season.

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In the Florida Panthers' 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, Anton Lundell scored three goals on eight shots with a plus-3 ranking. If you'd passed over Lundell for this game, you were justified since he had not recorded a point in his previous six games. Lundell skated on a line with Lars Eller and Eetu Luostarinen, which isn't really helping his value. It's difficult to trust Lundell in anything but deeper leagues until he shows more consistent production.

Sam Reinhart's power-play goal was his sixth of the season, which ties him with Leon Draisaitl for the league lead in that category. Reinhart also added an assist, which was also on the power play.

Something you didn't expect to see, even a month into the season: only Evan Bouchard and Quinn Hughes have more points among defensemen than Seth Jones. The Panthers blueliner has piled up 17 of his 18 points over his last nine games. He also has back-to-back three-point games, which includes a goal and two assists on Friday. Jones has not reached the 40-point mark in any of his previous four seasons and he is nearly halfway there already!

Before jumping to the conclusion that Jones is a sell high, keep in mind that 11 of his 18 points have been on the power play, which leads all defensemen. The Panthers' power play is currently in the top half of the league and could become even stronger once Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand return. Injuries are more likely to slow Jones, who has become a Band-Aid Boy because he has missed at least 10 games in each of his past four seasons.

For the Jets, Neal Pionk was back on the top power play after Elias Salomonsson held that spot on Thursday. Pionk had a productive game from a multicategory standpoint with a power-play assist, four shots, and five hits. Consider him a must-start while Josh Morrissey is out of the lineup.

The vibes can't be great in Winnipeg right now. Not only have the Jets been forced to trade away their all-star goalie, but they have now lost eight games in a row. Maybe the Bombers can come up with a win in Toronto against the Argos.

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The Calgary Flames were an easy lineup to overlook entering the season, but they are providing fantasy teams with several solid options. That starts with Matt Coronato, who contributed a career-high four points (1 G, 3 A) in the Flames' 6-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Coronato is now above the point-per-game mark for the season (14 PTS in 13 GP), including multiple points in three of his last four games. Coronato is tied for the Flames' team lead in points, receives top power-play time, and is rostered in just 17% of Yahoo leagues.

The player that Coronato is tied for the team lead with is Joel Farabee, who has been on fire over the past two weeks with 11 points in his last seven games. Farabee scored a goal and added an assist on Friday. I took my own advice from last Saturday and added Farabee in a Fantrax league, and that recommendation still holds. Over the past week, Farabee's ownership has skyrocketed from 4% Yahoo/16% Fantrax to 38% Yahoo/51% Fantrax, so your window of opportunity may have just shut.

Matvei Gridin scored a power-play goal and added an assist, giving him 10 points in 13 games. A 2024 first-round pick, Gridin is also on the Flames' top power play and is averaging over two shots per game. He is also worth considering in leagues where he is available (13% Yahoo/51% Fantrax), although you should prioritize Coronato and Farabee in single-season leagues.

Continuing with Flames forwards, Adam Klapka had a strong bangers game. Klapka was credited with four hits while being assessed a five-minute major for a heavyweight tilt with Curtis Douglas. Tale of the tape: Klapka is 6-8, 235 lbs., while Douglas is 6-9, 242 lbs.

With the red hot and always entertaining Devin Cooley (lower body) now on IR, Dustin Wolf received his first start since October 15. Wolf was up to the task, making 20 saves in just his second win of the season. The Flames have won five of their last six games, which should make Wolf a safer start for now. However, the Flames also have a game tonight (Saturday) in Colorado, which might be one to stay away from whether it is Wolf or Arsenii Sergeev between the pipes.

Mackie Samoskevich led the Kraken with a goal and an assist. Samoskevich has three goals and three assists over his last five games.

One of the reasons that my deepest keeper team has improved this season is the emergence of Berkly Catton. With a power-play assist on Friday, second-year player Catton now has a six-game point streak and is up to 11 points in 14 games. Catton is already just six points shy of his total all of his last season (17 PTS in 66 GP), also seeing his icetime increased by two minutes per game while being moved into the mix of players that timeshare power-play minutes in Seattle (eight players range between 46%-52% of the Kraken's available power-play minutes).

Despite the strong start, Catton may be a candidate for regression. He is averaging under two shots per game while holding both a shooting percentage and 5-on-5 shooting percentage of 16%. He will also need to rely on once-pedigreed linemates Kaapo Kakko and Shane Wright for continued success.

Also for the Kraken, Philipp Grubauer was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots. Joey Daccord wasn't much better, allowing two more goals on 13 shots. Both goalies have negative goals saved above expected, making them risky options in fantasy leagues.

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Data was taken from Frozen Tools and NHL.com unless otherwise noted.

Happy Halloween! Stay safe out there and watch for the trick-or-treaters big and small. Follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social