Reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov has only known a single NHL team in his NHL career, and he has become one of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s all-time great players. The future Hall of Famer is entering his 14th season with the club, but as things currently stand, he may not reach a 15th.
The $9.5MM AAV contract extension Kucherov signed in July 2018 is set to expire next summer, and as of right now, Kucherov is without an extension and is slated to hit the open market. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported yesterday that neither Kucherov’s agent, Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, nor Lightning GM Julien Brisebois were willing to comment on the status of extension talks.
LeBrun noted that while Brisebois does not comment on ongoing negotiations, Milstein “is normally pretty forthcoming with updates” on other players, but has “reiterated” that he will not speak on Kucherov’s status to the media.
LeBrun did write that he still thinks Kucherov will end up re-signing in Tampa Bay, but also expressed surprise that agreement on a deal still hasn’t been reached. The ballooning player salaries across the league could be making it more difficult for both sides to get pen to paper on a new deal.
Extensions for stars such as Kirill Kaprizov and Cale Makar have shattered records, and as a two-time MVP who has thrice led the NHL in scoring, Kucherov has an ironclad argument to be compensated at the same rate as the other premier talents in the game. But the fact that Kucherov will be 34 when his next deal kicks in could naturally give Tampa Bay some pause.
For as exceptional as Kucherov has been, it’s no guarantee he’ll be able to sustain his standard of play in his mid-to-late 30s. But if the Lightning are serious about their chase to win a third Stanley Cup and fifth Prince of Wales Trophy with Kucherov, they’ll need to find a way to retain their star winger at any cost.