{"id":401949,"date":"2026-09-16T23:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T23:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/401949\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T23:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T23:08:08","slug":"the-fourcheck-kucherov-contract-injury-updates-and-more-from-media-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/401949\/","title":{"rendered":"The FourCheck: Kucherov contract, injury updates and more from media day"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 rendition of Tampa Bay Lightning training camp kicked off with media day on Wednesday as players returned to Benchmark International Arena.<\/p>\n

Here are four updates throughout the organization as we check on Nikita Kucherov\u2019s contract situation, rejuvenated Bolts leaders, John Carlson\u2019s quick impact and a pair of offseason injuries.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go:<\/p>\n

1. Kucherov extension talks continue<\/p>\n

Contracts and negotiations across the NHL have garnered plenty of attention this summer thanks to the league\u2019s rising salary cap, and Tampa Bay is no stranger to the chat.<\/p>\n

Leading scorer Nikita Kucherov is among players needing a new contract, as he enters the final season of the eight-year deal he signed in July 2018, which carries a $9.5 million cap hit.<\/p>\n

Kucherov turned 33 years old this summer following a 2025-26 season in which he tied a career high with 44 goals and finished second in the league for both assists (86) and points (130). He won the second Hart Memorial Trophy of his career as the league\u2019s MVP and notched the 1,000th point of his career.<\/p>\n

Lightning Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois continues to work with Kucherov\u2019s agent, Dan Milstein, on an extension. BriseBois mentioned the rising cap and \u201cevolving\u201d market on Wednesday while also reiterating that the goal remains to re-sign Kucherov.<\/p>\n

“Nikita is a historically great player. He’s not just one of the best players in the world right now, he is one of the best players ever….And with his tremendous work ethic and commitment to his craft, I have every reason to believe that he’s going to remain an elite player well into his 30s. That’s been the mindset throughout these contract negotiations,\u201d BriseBois said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth parties I know would have preferred to have a deal today to be able to put that behind us. We haven’t been able to do that. I’m still in touch with his agent. We’re going to keep the lines of communication open with the goal remaining to be to get Nikita signed to a contract that’s going to keep him in Tampa for many years to come, playing on a Stanley Cup contender throughout.”<\/p>\n

Kucherov needs only 14 points to become the franchise\u2019s all-time leading scorer. All 879 games of his NHL career have come as a Bolt since the team selected him with the 58th overall pick at the 2011 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Kucherov said his focus remains on the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s on my mind? My mind is on trying to help the team this year,\u201d he said when asked about his contract. \u201cI control what I can control and I’ll do my best with what I can on the ice, and that’s what I’m focusing on right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The league\u2019s new collective bargaining agreement took effect on Wednesday, meaning eight-year deals are no longer allowed. The maximum length on a new Kucherov deal is now seven years.<\/p>\n

2. Veteran duo arrives refreshed and ready<\/p>\n

During his exit interview last spring, Brayden Point said he planned to challenge himself this offseason following an up-and-down 2025-26.<\/p>\n

He made good on that promise over the past several months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you just look at the result last year and for me personally how it went last year. I think that was enough motivation for me to have a good summer and try to put myself in the best position I could coming into this year. So the passion is definitely there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Point could be seen daily at\u00a0TGH Ice Plex in Brandon alongside Kucherov this offseason, working on the finer details of the game. Point usually heads home to Canada for offseason rest and work, but he opted to spend this summer in Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything,\u201d he said of what he worked on. \u201cSkating, shooting, the works really. It was a lot of fun to work with him (Kucherov), and we got a lot of ice time together. I definitely learned a lot, and I feel like a better player for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Point finished 2025-26 with 50 points, including 18 goals, in 63 games. As he seeks to return as one of the league\u2019s most frequent goalscorers this season, his game feels refreshed.<\/p>\n

Captain Victor\u00a0Hedman is also excited to be back following a season that included injuries as well as time away to\u00a0better his mental health<\/a>. He showed a renewed energy at media day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel great,\u201d Hedman said. \u201cI\u2019m super excited to start a new season and put the other ones behind us. I\u2019m just excited to get out there on the ice tomorrow with the guys and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hedman did not appear during the 2026 playoffs but said he felt ready to go. After dealing with an injury last training camp, he called this offseason \u201cphenomenal\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent eight weeks in Sweden, got back here Aug. 1, and it’s been a great summer. There\u2019s nothing nagging me body-wise or anything like that, so I\u2019ve been able to push the body to the limit and be in as good of shape as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Multiple people reached out to lend support to Hedman after he shared his mental health journey. He\u2019s now ready to get back into the mix on the ice.<\/p>\n

BriseBois, for one, can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, I’m happy to see him happy and in a great frame of mind. He was here in early August, and he’s always been a player that cares tremendously about the success of the team and his teammates,\u201d BriseBois said. \u201cHe’s always been a very prideful player, and I know he is very much committed to showing everyone how special a player he is this season, reminding us all how good of a player he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Carlson addition already paying dividends<\/p>\n

The Tampa Bay Lightning made some noise in the final hours of July 1, adding veteran defenseman John Carlson via two-year contract in free agency.<\/p>\n

Carlson has been in town since August, regularly skating with his new teammates. Those who spoke on Wednesday said he\u2019s already made a difference before hitting the ice for his first official practice as a Bolt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he’s been brought up to me by almost every player I’ve talked to this summer as to how good of an addition this guy is going to be to our group, to our locker room, how much of a pro he is, how smart he is,\u201d BriseBois said. \u201cHe\u2019s another one of those guys that have a calming presence out there\u2026When you get to know him a little bit more and you hear that and you see that throughout the last five, six weeks of guys skating in Brandon and you combine that with the career he’s had, you’re going, \u2018Oh yeah, that fits.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old\u00a0Carlson ranks fifth among active NHL defenders in points (785) and tied for fifth in games played (1,159). His 60 points between the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks tied for 11th among all NHL defensemen a season ago, and his 46 even-strength points placed sixth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity here. I think the team is obviously packed full of great talent, great players and a lot of potential, and that\u2019s why I wanted to be here,\u201d Carlson said. \u201cI\u2019m truly excited to take on the challenge to be here and try to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlson looks forward to working with Tampa Bay\u2019s leadership group as he joins in their chase for another Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be a good presence,\u201d Carlson said. \u201cI think that\u2019s something that I pride myself on but also knowing that there\u2019s guys that have been here for a long time that have led this team to great heights, and I would like to learn from them and that mentality as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has quickly assimilated to the team, spending time fishing and playing golf with Hedman in addition to the summer skates in Brandon. Members of the organization said repeatedly on Wednesday that Carlson\u2019s resume speaks for itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a great guy,\u201d Kucherov said of his new teammate. “He\u2019s great in the room, and I think everybody loves him already. He fits in really good, and he\u2019s been a heck of a player for Washington for a long time and he\u2019s been a righty on the power play there. I\u2019m really excited to play with him and I can\u2019t wait to get on the ice tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

4. Gourde, James injuries create opportunity<\/p>\n

We also learned on Wednesday that veteran center Yanni Gourde required offseason hip surgery and is expected to be out until December, while speedy center Dominic James suffered a broken hand.<\/p>\n

The 34-year-old Gourde checked multiple boxes for Tampa Bay a season ago, chipping in nine goals and 28 points while racking up 66 penalty minutes and seeing the third-most time on the penalty kill among all Lightning players.<\/p>\n

James, 24, suffered his injury while training recently and will miss approximately the first two weeks of the season. He won\u2019t be a full participant in training camp.<\/p>\n

That could mean more looks for some of the prospects who played at last weekend\u2019s prospect showcase to reach the NHL, a list that includes Dylan Duke, Lucas Mercuri, Benjamin Rautiainen, Sam O\u2019Reilly and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want to maintain that level of competitiveness and feeling like we have a shot at the Stanley Cup every year, we need to keep churning out players. We need to keep bringing in guys who can give us really good minutes for many, many years\u2026Now we only have four preseason games. It certainly makes it harder for them to make a case to be on the team, but to the extent that we can we’re going to provide them with that opportunity, and it’s up to them to grab it. We have a couple injuries to start the season, so there’s some openings.\u201d<\/p>\n

We are certain to see new combinations on opening night after last season\u2019s trio of Gourde, Pontus Holmberg and Zemgus Girgensons established itself as a regular combination, one nicknamed \u2018The Hounds\u2019 for their ability to forecheck and retrieve the puck.<\/p>\n

Offseason free agent additions are in the mix for such spots. Will a youngster such as O\u2019Reilly, Conor Geekie or Dylan Duke earn a job out of camp while Gourde and James recover?<\/p>\n

Opportunities are there for the taking early this season, which makes the shorter training camp and fewer preseason games all the more important.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere isn’t a lot of opportunity for guys to be seen,\u201d BriseBois said, \u201cso they’re going to have to make the most out of every rep in practice and every shift they do get in games in order to make a good impression because they can’t afford to waste any reps or shifts if they want to earn bigger and better opportunities for themselves. But it will be a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 rendition of Tampa Bay Lightning training camp kicked off with media day on Wednesday as players…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401950,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-401949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}