More Details Emerging On Lightning & Kucherov Contract Offers
👀 Per sources ; I'm told 1st offer was around 13M, revised offer 15M only after Carlsson 18M offer sheet & Makar 20M deal. Kucherov is a Hall Of Fame , has a great relationship w HC Cooper, will play out his contract, told his teammates and club he won't re sign in Tampa. There were 4 people in the room during meeting in Nashville; Kucherov, his agent @HockeyAgent1, GM Brisebois and HC Cooper. #Hockey
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) November 1, 2026
Weekes says that Tampa's first extension offer to the reigning Hart Trophy winner was at around a $13 million AAV. But after the Leo Carlsson $18 million AAV offer sheet bombshell dropped in the summer, the Bolts revised their offer to a $15M yearly stipend. That was obviously still far below what the two-time Hart Trophy winner was expecting. Cale Makar, another one of the best players in the NHL, soon after signed an extension with a $20.4M AAV (granted, he's five years younger than Kucherov).
Weekes adds that Kucherov has "a great relationship" with head coach Jon Cooper, and he will play out his contract, which expires at the end of the 2026-27 season, at which time he'll be an unrestricted free agent.
The insider adds that when the Kucherov camp came down with their 'trade me' request, it came during a meeting at which there were four people present: Kucherov, his agent Dan Milstein, GM Julien Brisebois and Cooper.
The 33-year-old two-time Stanley Cup winner then told his teammates about his decision on the team plane.
After a 130-point season last year, Kuch currently has 18 points in 13 games this season, including a three-assist night in their shootout loss to Nashville Saturday night.