Nikita Kucherov decided to stay with the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a hefty pay rise. Kucherov signed an eight-year, $76 million extension which will see him staying with the team until 2027. The 25-year-old will be getting around $9.5 million per year, compared to $4,7 million per year he was earning so far.
“I’m truly grateful to sign this contract extension to keep me in Tampa for the next eight seasons today,” said Kucherov in a statement. “I’d like to thank the Lightning organization and all of the fans for the support since making the Bay Area my home.”
KUUUUUUUUUCH!!!
We have signed Nikita Kucherov to an eight-year contract extension worth an average of $9.5 million.
📝: https://t.co/mteggHnm8D pic.twitter.com/id4aAFZIWu
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 10, 2018
This new deal is a reward for Nikita Kucherov, who had his best season in NHL in 2017-18. He played a career-high 80 games in which he scored 39 goals and had 61 assists. His 100 points in the last season were ranked third in the NHL.
After locking in Kucherov on a long-term deal, Tampa Bay Lightning now continues their attempt to add some star power to the team that reached Eastern Conference Final in last season’s Stanley Cup Finals. Lightning pursued star free agent center John Tavares, but he ultimately decided to sign a deal with Toronto Maple Leafs. The team now turned to figure out a trade for Erik Karlsson, who has a one year left on his contract with Ottawa Senators.
