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Tampa Bay Lightning sign Nikita Kucherov to 8-year extension

By Chase Kimball

TAMPA, FL - MAY 23: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning gets ready for the game against the Washington Capitals during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/NHLI via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - MAY 23: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning gets ready for the game against the Washington Capitals during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 23, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Tampa Bay Lightning All-Star forward Nikita Kucherov has signed an eight-year contract extension carrying an average value of $9.5 million per season.

Nikita Kucherov wasn’t set to become a free agent until next season, but that didn’t stop Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman from locking him down for the next nine seasons.

Kucherov’s eight-year deal will carry an average annual value of $9.5 million.  Though he has already signed, the deal won’t kick in until the 2019-2020 season as Kucherov has one year of his $4.766 million bridge deal.  After that, though, Kucherov’s new contract will be in effect until the 2026-2027 season.

Now is the perfect time to sign Kucherov to this deal.  He will be just 26 when the deal begins, meaning that the Lightning won’t have to worry about a new contract for him all throughout the majority of his prime.  Now Nikita Kucherov joins Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, and Ryan McDonagh in long-term contracts with the Bolts.

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News of this contract came rather out of nowhere.  Kucherov was eligible to sign an extension July 1st, but at that time negotiations reportedly hadn’t even begun yet.  It was thought that talks of a new contract wouldn’t begin until later in the summer at least.  The focus has been on Erik Karlsson and where he might end up, and it seems talks of an extension with Kucherov slipped under the radar.

Kucherov’s new contract is a big deal for a few reasons.  The first of these being, once again a star has taken a pay cut to stay in Tampa.

With Drew Doughty and John Tavares each inking $11 million deals this summer, it seemed that was the asking price for stars now.  Kucherov’s production last season was higher than that of both players, and his deal averages $1.5 million less than the pair.

There are two reasons for this pay cut.  The first is Kucherov’s desire to stay in Tampa and win here.  He is a fierce competitor and he believes that the best place for him to win is with the Lightning.  The proof?  His bridge deal that allowed the Lightning to lock down Stamkos and Hedman first.  Now, all of the Lightning’s big pieces are locked down long term.

The second reason is that Florida doesn’t have state income tax.  This allows the Bolts to offer smaller contracts that would net players the same amount if a larger deal were signed elsewhere.

Most importantly though, Kucherov’s new deal gives Yzerman an exact number on how much the star will cost.  This tells him how much cap space he has to work with next season before it even comes.

This is incredibly important as now Yzerman knows exactly how much he has to re-sign Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, and other free agents as well as bring in some new faces.  Kucherov’s new contract doesn’t take the Lighting out of #KarlssonWatch, it plants them even deeper in it.

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning re-signs Ryan McDonagh to 7-year deal

According to Joe Smith, Dan Milstein, Kucherov’ agent said, “It was a good deal for both sides, so we figured why wait?”  Tampa fans will certainly be happy to know that their 100 point player won’t be going anywhere any time soon.

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