While some general managers may be dreaming of signing Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov as a free agent next July, all signs point towards the winger staying put.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports that while the two sides did not work out an extension this summer, Kucherov is not planning to hit the open market.
“Could you imagine if the defending Hart Trophy champion as NHL MVP was playing in a Canadian market and was entering the final year of his deal without an extension? What a gong show that would be,” LeBrun said Tuesday on Insider Trading. “But by the way, that’s why Kucherov loves playing in Tampa. People leave him alone there. He barely does any media and it’s why he wants to stay. He has no intention of hitting the open market. It’s just that the Lightning and his agent Dan Milstein haven’t been able to find the sweet spot in terms of that extension.
“But having poked around on this file on this day, I can tell you there doesn’t seem to be a red flag other than the fact he’s not signed. In other words, everyone involved is confident this will eventually lead to an extension. There’s no nerves being frayed right now that he’s entering the year without one, and I think that’s probably true.”
Kucherov’s agent Dan Milstein has declined to comment on contract talks throughout the summer and the Russian star offered little by way of an update as he arrived for training camp.
“My mind is trying to help the team this year,” Kucherov said earlier this month. “I control what I can control, and I’ll do my best what I can on the ice, and that’s what I’m focusing on right now.”
Kucherov is entering the last of an eight-year, $76 million contract that carries a cap hit of $9.5 million. He posted 44 goals and 130 points in 76 games last season and added a goal and six points in seven playoff games before the Lightning were eliminated in the first round for the fourth straight season.
The trophy case is full for Kucherov, who also won the Hart Trophy in 2019 and also won three Art Ross Trophies and two Ted Lindsay Awards, in addition to two Stanley Cups.
Even as he approaches turning 34 next June, Kucherov continues to be one of the league’s most consistent performers, topping 110 points in each of the previous four seasons.
Drafted 58th overall by the Lightning in 2011, Kucherov has 401 goals and 1,124 points in 879 career games.
Kucherov and the Lightning will open their 2026-27 season on Thursday against the New York Rangers.
