The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed RFA forward Nikita Kucherov to a three-year contract worth $4.766 million annually.
Because of the Bolts cap crunch, the deal is a shrt term “bridge” deal. Kucherov made $700,000 last season and deserves a $6 or $7 million AAV contract, but the Bolts found themselves with only about $5 million left to sign Kucherov. Kucherov has decided to take a short term contract with the potential of a bigger future contract.
Bob McKenzie tells us:
“Whatever “bridge discount” Kucherov is taking now, he could potentially earn all of it back, and then some, when he signs a long-term, mega-deal at age 26 or 27. And he would still have some “security” in the form of a potential three-year deal now worth between $13 million and $15 million.
In the meantime, Yzerman has done a good job of being able to shoe-horn key players — Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos and likely Kucherov — into that congested cap without having to perform radical surgery on his roster.
This season, though, he’ll have to move some bodies — perhaps Valtteri Filppula, amongst others — to get the cap space required to sign Drouin, Palat and Johnson next summer, although an expiring contract for goalie Ben Bishop (if he’s not traded first) will help, too.”
The Lightning placed three players on waivers Monday (Erik Condra, Cory Conacher and Joel Vermin) to assure themselves some cap flexibility.
According to beat writer Joe Smith:
“The first $950,000 of a salary doesn’t count toward the cap if a player is sent to the AHL. So Conacher’s $575,000 wouldn’t count if he’s in Syracuse, and just $300,000 of Condra’s $1.25 million would.”
Kucherov (23), a restricted free agent has been holding out until he got a deal. The 23 year old led the Lightning in scoring last season with 66 points (30 goals and 36 assists) on his way to becoming a legitimate NHL star. The 2011 second round pick also led the way in playoff scoring earning 11 goals and eight assists.
Bob McKenzie broke the story that Kucherov was headed back to the US from Russia to finalize a deal with the Bolts.
Missing camp is of no concern as Kucherov skated in the World Cup of Hockey with Team Russia and is in game shape already.
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