Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Steven Stamkos Walks, Use The Money For Nikita Kucherov

04/21/2016 at 1:30pm EDT

from Dimitri Filipovic of Sportsnet,

While every long-term deal carries a certain amount of risk, Kucherov checks all of the boxes you’d like to see from a player you’re betting on. His rate stats the past two seasons are a good indicator that he’s ready for a larger workload. Just 23 years old in June, he’s on a collision course with his prime as a scorer. He’s only going to get more productive in the coming seasons.

There’s a legitimate possibility the Lightning will see one of the league’s most lethal goal scorers walk this summer as a free agent. There’s no question that would be a tough pill to swallow for a team that figures to be chasing Stanley Cups for at least a few years to come.

As strange as it may seem, I don’t think it’s particularly outlandish to suggest Tampa will be fine without Stamkos. In fact, there’s a completely reasonable argument that the money needed to keep Stamkos would be better spent on other openings in the lineup.

Tampa Bay will definitely need to make a long-term commitment to a high-end goal scorer this summer. It’s just not the one you might expect.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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