Nikita Kucherov is one of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s biggest legacy players. He has been with the team since 2013, two years after being selected by them as the 55th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Kucherov rapidly established himself as a key member of the squad after his debut, and he has remained one of the most prolific playmakers since. With the Lightning, he won two Stanley Cups and was named the 2018 Hart Trophy winner. Currently, the right winger is on an eight-year contract with the organization that will expire soon.
In July 2018, Nikita Kucherov signed a $76 million contract with the Lightning for another eight seasons. The contract guaranteed him an average annual salary of $9.5 million, plus an additional $9.5 million as the cap hit. Kucherov’s contract is set to expire after the 2026-27 season, and the forward will become an unrestricted free agent.
There are currently no speculations of a contract extension for Nikita Kucherov, and recently, he even addressed this subject during his exit interview. Despite their best efforts, the Lightning lost Round 1 to the Montreal Canadiens in a close 4-3 series. Following the end of the season, Tampa’s players had an exit interview, where Kucherov was also present.
There, the 32-year-old footballer claimed that he had not even begun to consider his contract ending. According to an X post by Hockey News writer Diandra Loux, Kucherov said,
“You’re going to have to ask Julien. I’m not even thinking about it.”
Nikita Kucherov has put up some impressive numbers throughout his 879 games with the Lightning. He’s scored 401 goals and 723 assists for a total of 1124 points.
NHL analyst thinks Nikita Kucherov can be traded by the Lightning
With Nikita Kucherov approaching his final season with Tampa, there is speculation that the organization may trade him during this offseason. TSN insider Pierre LeBrun recently discussed these rumors, claiming that the 2026 playoffs have not been the best for Kucherov. LeBrun also stated that moving forward, the Lightning can take some risks, and while they would like Kucherov to sign another contract, they may consider trading him.
According to the Yard Barker, LeBrun wrote,
“Kucherov had his moments in this series, but he was held pointless in the last three games, and overall, his frustration showed throughout. That wasn’t Hart Trophy Kucherov in this series.”
The insider later went on to add,
“Odds are the Lightning’s top priority is, in fact, to extend Kucherov, who turns 33 in June. But I will just point out, BriseBois has never been afraid to swing big. That would be one heck of a chip to push into the market. And there might be some big-name players on the move in trades this summer. And Tampa often ends up being top 5 on many a star player’s list. Just saying.”
Nikita Kucherov’s 2026 season has been a great success, with 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points in 74 games.
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