The NHL season is underway as training camps are opening and teams begin meeting with the media. One of those teams speaking to the media today is the Tampa Bay Lightning. One offseason storyline that has flown under the radar has been Nikita Kucherov and his contract extension with the Lightning.
Kucherov is entering the final year of an eight-year deal he signed in July 2018, worth $76 million and carrying a $9.5 million cap hit. He has been eligible for a contract extension since July 1st, and many are surprised it hasn’t happened. Many thought this would have been done already at an AAV somewhere between $12 million and $13 million on a short-term deal.
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But as NHLRumors.com has documented, these negotiations have been similar to what happened between Steven Stamkos and the Lightning before the former Lightning captain left and signed with the Nashville Predators as a free agent.
While the feeling is the same, the tone is a lot different. Kucherov isn’t as vocal as Stamkos was about how disappointed he was to enter the season without an extension. Kucherov is just rolling with the process and letting his agent handle everything, as he told the media on Wednesday.
“What’s in my mind?” Kucherov told the media. “My mind is trying to help the team this year. I control what I can control & I’ll do my best with what I can on the ice & that’s what I’m focusing on right now & not much more I can say.”
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This is a similar tone to the end of the season after the Lightning were eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he didn’t want to talk or get into specifics about his contract. In fact, he was already thinking about it then.
So it is up to Lightning GM Julien BriseBois and Kucherov’s agent Dan Milstein to find common ground. None of the parties are making any public comments about these negotiations. However, BriseBois’s goal is to keep Kucherov with the Lightning for the foreseeable future.
“I foresee him staying in our organization for a very long time, hopefully until the end of his career. In due time, we will engage with his agent,” BriseBois said back in May 2026.
He echoed that sentiment when the Lightning opened their season, and he met with the media on Wednesday.
“Both parties, I know would have preferred to have a deal today and be able to put that behind us. We haven’t been able to do that. I’m still in touch with his agent. We’re going to keep the lines of communication open, with the goal remaining to be a contract that’s going to keep him in Tampa for many years to come,” BriseBois said.
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BriseBois wished the Kucherov extension was already done, but it is a business. However, the front-loaded signing-bonus structure and eight-year term are off the table. That doesn’t mean he can’t sign for seven years, but can he keep up this pace? Kucherov has been one of the best players from ages 30-32. He is 33 years old now, so how long and how much money do the Lightning want to pay him?
Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy with 130 points in 76 games. He doesn’t show signs of slowing down in the regular season. The playoffs are a different story, but as with Steven Stamkos entering a contract year, Nikita Kucherov isn’t locked up. How long does this thing go on before a deal is done?
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Why hasn’t Nikita Kucherov signed an extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning yet? https://t.co/vN2m4PWRfH
— NHLRumors.com (@MyNHLRumorsX) September 15, 2026
