Nikita Kucherov is on track to become the first forward to earn $20 million a year

Raphael Simard
Nikita Kucherov is on track to become the first forward to earn $20 million a year
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

After Cale Makar, the next player to sign a $20 million-a-year contract will likely be Quinn Hughes.

I say “probably” because Nikita Kucherov doesn't have a contract lined up for next season either.

Jeff Marek (Sekeres & Price Show) believes there's a chance it could happen soon.

Kucherov is one of the best players in the NHL and certainly deserves a massive contract.

Last year, he finished with 130 points in 76 games. And like Makar and Hughes, he's set to become an unrestricted free agent. The Lightning certainly wouldn't want to lose him for nothing.

The Russian currently earns $9.5 million annually. Reaching $20 million per year would be a jump of $10.5 million. That's still quite a significant amount, especially for a team that's already up against the salary cap.

And as we can see, the big contracts aren't set to expire for quite some time.

(Credit: Puck Pedia)

There's a lot of talk about the contract of one of the Hughes brothers, but Kuch's will be just as intriguing. One thing is certain: Julien BriseBois will have to do a lot of financial juggling.

Let's just say that the 2027 free-agent class looks much more interesting than the 2026 one. Unless they all extend their contracts before July 1… just like in 2026.

(Credit: Spotrac)

In a Nutshell

– Stay tuned.

– Read this.

– I'm very interested in Mason Lohrei.

– What a performance, indeed.

– That's good news.

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