- Andrei Vasilevskiy told The Athletic he doesn’t know if he’s worth $25 million
- The Lightning goalie says finishing his career in Tampa Bay would be his second biggest accomplishment behind the Stanley Cup
- Read below for what he said about Nikita Kucherov’s trade request
Andrei Vasilevskiy doesn’t think he’s a $25 million goalie.
The Lightning netminder joked about his next contract while talking with Joe Smith of The Athletic on Sunday. Vasilevskiy has one more season on his current deal after this one, so the question of an extension was on the table.
“To be honest, I don’t know if I’m worth $25 million, so I think my contract won’t be as high. I mean, it’d be great if it will.”
He said that with a laugh, but the rest of his answer was serious. Vasilevskiy was asked where he wants to finish his career, and he didn’t hedge.
“Obviously my goal is to stay here. If I retire here, in this city, it will be my second biggest accomplishment after the Stanley Cup.”
That matches what his agent said on Wednesday, when Dan Milstein told the DFO Insider podcast that Vasilevskiy wants to play 1,000 games for the Lightning.
Vasilevskiy was also asked about Nikita Kucherov, who told the team on Oct. 30 that he won’t re-sign and wants to be traded. He said the whole thing caught him off guard.
“I mean, it was a surprise for all of us, maybe I was more prepared for that than other people, but it is still a big surprise for all of us. Again, there’s still a lot of time until July 1. So we’ll just wait and see and we’ll hope that something will change.” He added: “Anything is possible nowadays.”
Vasilevskiy added that he understands both sides and doesn’t want to get too involved. His hope is that “both parties will be happy.” Kucherov, for his part, is expected to hold off on signing anywhere until July 1, per Elliotte Friedman.
Kucherov was still the one who decided Saturday night’s game in Tampa. Watch him win it for the Lightning in overtime against the Wild:
The Lightning edged Minnesota 4-3 to cap a week in which the Kucherov saga and the Vasilevskiy extension talk have become one conversation. Kucherov’s future gets settled before Vasilevskiy’s negotiation even starts.
