Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov is still feeling the effects of a long contract holdout.
The 23-year-old - who spent the entire summer as a restricted free agent before coming to terms earlier this week on a three-year deal - isn't afraid to admit he's still shaking out the cobwebs.
"I feel a little rusty," Kucherov said, following Tampa Bay's 6-4 season-opening victory over the Detroit Red Wings, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.
"I didn't practice with this kind of speed, I didn't practice with this kind of players at home. It's been hard. I feel like my legs were heavy and my hands were bad. I wasn't happy with the way I played."
Kucherov led the Lightning in scoring during both the regular season and playoffs last year. And despite missing training camp this season, he took part in last month's World Cup of Hockey after training in his native Russia.
Nonetheless, after going pointless in the first game of the season, Kucherov told Smith he feels ready to go ahead of the team's clash with the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Hey, it's just one game.
