While captain Steven Stamkos' contract impasse will continue to dominate headlines for the Tampa Bay Lightning, another budding Lightning player that has provided elite impact over the past two seasons remains without a contract for next year as well. Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov, one of the Triplets, potted two goals on Thursday night, upping his recent three-game total to four markers and bringing his season tally to 10 goals and 17 points. The 22-year-old former second-round pick is in the final year of his entry level deal and starting at restricted free agency - and arbitration - come July.
And while recent reports have suggested that Stamkos' protracted negotiations - or lack thereof - with the team is likely stalling talks between Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and Kucherov's reps, it sounds like the plan all along has actually been to wait until after the 2015-16 NHL season to hammer out a new deal.
"It's something we'll address at the end of the season," Scott Greenspun, Kucherov's agent, told ESPN's Craig Custance on Thursday. "That's what he would prefer. He just wants to focus on having a good season and the team doing well."
As Custance noted in another piece earlier in the week, a bridge deal is probably the best case scenario for both sides. But Kucherov, who finished last season with 28 goals and 36 assists and looks to be on pace to rack up similar numbers this season, finishes in the 50 to 60 point range, it may be a difficult sell of Yzerman.
And despite Tyler Johnson missing several games due to injury, Kucherov has kept up his scoring pace, proving that he can get the job done even when the talent around him suffers.
But this is where things get tricky for Yzerman. Stamkos' next deal, should he indeed re-sign with the team, will be massive and likely carry an eight-year term. At some point, with players like Johnson, Ondrej Palat and defenseman Victor Hedman needing new deals in the not-too-distant future, difficult decisions will eventually need to be made.
And while it's not as simple as Hedman, Kucherov and keeping the Triplets together vs. Stamkos, it's really not that far off from that either, especially considering Stamkos is likely seeking a deal in the range of $10 million-plus per season.
