What It Means:

Kucherov will be in line for a significant salary bump once this contract is up, making him a restricted free agent. For now, however, he's ready to start for the Lightning on opening night.

The 23-year-old Kucherov tallied 66 points -- 30 goals and 36 assists -- last regular season. In the postseason, he scored 11 goals in 17 games, good for second-most in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kucherov's possession numbers were impressive as well, as he recorded a 54.3 Corsi For Percentage and 3.4 Relative Corsi For Percentage at Even Strength.