Negotiations between Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning are reportedly at a standstill.
"Right now, as best we can tell, this thing is (going) nowhere," TSN's Bob McKenzie said on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading".
"It's really unusual, simply because ... the Tampa Bay Lightning obviously have immense cap pressure to try and deal with here, and Kucherov is a potential elite player who should be getting a long-term deal for a significant amount of money," McKenzie added.
"I can't even begin to assess whether there's a chance he could be in the lineup on opening night, but right now, we don't get the sense that anything's close at all."
Kucherov won't report to training camp until he has a new contract.
The 23-year-old notched 30 goals and 66 points in his third NHL season last year, building on a solid sophomore campaign in which he posted 28 goals and 64 points.
He became a restricted free agent on July 1. Tampa Bay has an estimated $5.9 million in cap space entering the season.
The Lightning open their regular-season schedule at home against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 13.
