Nikita Kucherov might not be without a contract for much longer.
Negotiations with the Tampa Bay Lightning should resume now that the star winger's World Cup commitment with Russia is over, general manager Steve Yzerman told reporters including Bryan Burns of the team's official website Sunday.
Russia was eliminated from the tournament Saturday night in a 5-3 semifinal loss to Canada, a game in which Kucherov led all skaters with eight shots on goal.
Yzerman said Sunday that the club can "push harder" to strike a deal with the restricted free agent now that the World Cup is in the rear-view mirror, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
Related: Projecting Nikita Kucherov's next contract
Kucherov set new career-highs with 30 goals and 66 points last season after notching 28 goals and 64 points in 2014-15.
The Lightning have about $6.6 million in cap space entering the 2016-17 campaign.
