The story of this offseason was the rising contracts around the NHL, and the battle for who would be the league's next highest-paid player. Kirill Kaprizov reset the market last offseason when he took a deal for $17 million per season, while Leo Carlsson's offer sheet to get the ceiling to $18 million shocked everyone. Macklin Celebrini was the next player to take the crown, while Cale Makar was the final step with his $20.4 million annual salary.
While everyone talked about Makar and Quinn Hughes when July 1 hit, it was surprisingly quiet around Nikita Kucherov, who became eligible for an extension as well. The chances of him leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning are slim, so there was no real rush for Julien BriseBois to get the deal done, but all the money handed out leaves the Lightning in an interesting position.
The reigning Hart Trophy winner is still obviously one of the best players in the league, and he and his agent will want to be paid like that. They might be playing themselves out of some money depending on how the upcoming season goes, but if he is among the league leaders and is a finalist in MVP voting again, it'd be hard to argue that he shouldn't eclipse Kaprizov's contract, and make near what the top centers and defensemen are making, even if he will be 34 when he signs.
Nikita Kucherov's next contract could make David Pastrnak's bargain look even better
Boston Bruins fans are already well aware that David Pastrnak is playing at a bargain. The $11.25 million he makes annually is criminal, much like Kucherov's $9.5 million that he currently makes (the tax situation does have Kucherov taking home more at the end of the year). However, when Kucherov is making that and Kaprizov is the only winger above $12 million, it makes a little more sense for Pastrnak.
Once Kucherov signs this massive deal, Pastrnak will easily be the best bargain deal in the entire league. Most rankings have the Bruins' superstar just behind Kucherov in their rankings of the top right wings, but the Lightning forward could be making as much as $9 million more annually for the next four seasons until Pastrnak's deal expires in 2031.
Pastrnak's next contract will start when he is 35, hardly a time for him to cash in when he could be past his prime. However, with the salary cap rising, it'd be nice to see him get a bit of a payday after not maximizing his earnings through the best years of his career.
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