John Romano: Is it time to say goodbye to Nikita Kucherov? Can't hurt to consider it.

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on May 5, 2026

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — You try to re-sign Nikita Kucherov.

Of course, you try to re-sign Kucherov. How can you not?

He’s a generational player, a future Hall of Famer and the key to your offense. There are only a handful of players on the planet who can do the things Kucherov can do on ice, and so you do not toss a skater like that aside just because you haven’t won a playoff series in four years.

But — and I’m just thinking out loud here — should you lock the doors, close the blinds, turn off the phones and at least have a discussion about it?

The Tampa Bay Lightning already did the unthinkable two years ago when they allowed Steven Stamkos to walk out the door as a free agent. If you’re willing to do that for the sake of the franchise’s future, then is it really so cuckoo to ponder a roster without Kucherov on it?

And this isn’t simply about his lack of production in recent postseasons, although that’s a factor. Much like the Stamkos situation, it’s more a confluence of considerations.

It’s his contract situation. (He can be a free agent in the summer of 2027.) It’s his age. (He turns 33 next month.) It’s the team’s recent playoff struggles. (A 7-16 record since 2023.) It’s Tampa Bay’s ever-annoying salary-cap struggle. (Only three teams currently have less cap space, according to PuckPedia.) It’s the potential changing of the guard in the Atlantic Division. (Buffalo and Montreal are two of the youngest teams in the league, and both are still standing.)

Add that up, and the decision is not as obvious as it might seem.

Right now, with a $9.5 million salary, Kucherov is an absolute bargain. Players such as Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon — Kucherov’s peers — are making between $12.5 million and $13.25 million a year. It’s not unreasonable to think Kucherov would get a raise to that neighborhood in any extension.

The issue is the length of a new contract.

If Kucherov is willing to sign a two-year extension with a considerable bump in pay, most GMs would jump on that deal. Even a three-year extension might be attractive. Anything beyond that, and you start worrying about the future return on your dollar.

By 2028-29, the Lightning will be paying 34-year-old Jake Guentzel $9 million, 33-year-old Brayden Point $9.5 million, 38-year-old Victor Hedman $8 million and 39-year-old Ryan McDonagh $4.1 million, and they will need to re-sign Andrei Vasilevskiy, who will be 34. So, even on a two-year deal, Kucherov would be 35 and in the $12 million range.

If you think Tampa Bay had injury problems this year, just imagine how brittle and expensive that team would be.

The problem is there are not a lot of great alternatives.

You could inquire about dealing Kucherov this summer, but he has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to pick 10 teams as potential destinations. That means finding a team that Kucherov approves of, and a team that sees him as the missing ingredient for a Cup run and is in position to sign him to an extension. Oh, also a team that looks at Kucherov’s recent postseason history (two goals in 23 games) and says they’re not concerned.

Or, you let him play out the final year of his contract and gamble that you can re-sign him to a lesser deal next summer.

The Lightning used that strategy with Stamkos. You might think it was unsuccessful because they failed to re-sign their captain, but the reality is it meant they had salary-cap space to acquire Guentzel, and are a better team for it.

It’s possible Julien BriseBois has similar thoughts with Kucherov. Maybe the Lightning restock their farm system by trading Kucherov for draft picks. Maybe they have their eye on a younger player from another organization in a trade. Maybe there’s a free agent they’re considering in 2027.

The point is that all options should be on the table. To their credit, the Lightning have cared more about winning in the postseason than pleasing fans in the offseason. They’ve been willing to make unpopular choices with popular players in order to keep the window of opportunity open.

Have some of the moves backfired? No doubt. But a lot of them — acquiring Brandon Hagel, J.J. Moser, Dominic James and Guentzel — have kept the fires burning.

You think that’s easy to do? Ask the Florida Panthers, who missed the playoffs this year after winning consecutive Stanley Cups. Ask the Vegas Golden Knights, who fired their head coach less than three years after winning a Cup. Ask the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have gone eight seasons without winning a playoff series even with Sidney Crosby around. The Lightning might have taken a step backward, but they haven’t fallen off a cliff.

So should the Lightning look into trading Kucherov this summer?

It’s impossible to say without knowing what he expects from his next contract.

But very few players are untouchable in this league.

And, considering the circumstances, I’m not sure if Kucherov is still on that list.

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