Lightning's Nikita Kucherov gets notable update on $9.5 million contract

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Nikita Kucherov just won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP, and he's severely underpaid.

His contract for the 2026-27 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning will pay him $9.5 million, an absolute bargain.

The reason that's particularly interesting is that Kucherov is due to be a free agent following the 2026-27 campaign. So the idea that he's due for a raise also aligns with the fact that the Bolts should probably spend this offseason figuring out a new deal for him.

"The Lightning can also remove one of the top potential 2027 free agents off the table by re-signing Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov, who is entering the final season of a contract with a $9.5 million annual cap hit," ESPN wrote in a non-bylined article on Monday.

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The offseason before the contract year is a logical time, and a time with a lot of precedent, to get this done.

Last offseason included Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov and Jack Eichel all heading toward what would be contract years. None of them played a game in 2025-26 without having already signed an extension.

McDavid proved that a player doesn't have to just take the max-length deal, instead getting only two years from the Oilers to keep his future options open.

The others got big paydays, as one would expect.

Kucherov certainly deserves a salary in the double digits for his annual average value, potentially beyond $12 million per year and maybe even higher.

He also has been in Tampa Bay for a long time, so maybe he's willing to take a bit of a discount to help keep the rest of the roster intact.

But it's safe to expect a contract to be coming along sooner rather than later for Kucherov, and it'll be well deserved.