They also have over $53 million invested in 12 players for 2017-18. Notable free agents There are some teams that rarely hand out any form of trade protection.  Tampa Bay is not one of them.  Of their seven highest-paid forwards, only one doesn’t have the ability to at least block a trade to some teams and that’s Brayden Point because he’s simply too young to have one.  On defense, their top-three paid players have either a full no-trade clause or a full no-move clause.  One advantage of being in the market they’re in is no state taxes which has allowed the Lightning to sign some of those players below market value.  The trade-off, however, is players getting some security in the form of trade protection. These Cookies are necessary for the performance of the Services and may not be removed. Open Article in App. Sergachev has been steady offensively in his three seasons with the Lightning and wasn’t asked to jump into a big role right away.  This allowed him to slowly develop his defensive game and the results were certainly promising this season.  He had a career-best 10 goals during the regular season while logging more than 20 minutes a night for the first time.  In the postseason, he chipped in with 10 more points and saw his playing time jump up to more than 22 minutes a game.  He’s already a top-four defender and at 22 years of age, there is still plenty of room for continued improvement.  Sergachev is someone that should be a fixture on their back end as long as they can afford to keep him. F Brayden Point – $6.75MM through 2021-22 (too young for trade protection yet) Easier said than done. After being swept by Columbus last season, no one really knew what to expect from Tampa Bay this year.  Sure, on paper, they were just as strong as ever but look where that got them the year before.  GM Julien BriseBois added some sandpaper and some veteran defensemen and it worked out perfectly as they took out the Blue Jackets, Bruins, Islanders, and Stars to take home the title.  After a few days of celebration, it’s all about tearing things down as the key to their offseason is simply freeing up cap space while keeping as much of the roster intact as they can.  Not surprisingly, each of the following keys revolves around that one element. Subscribe now to get full access to the new sports page. Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois has a more pressing challenge than trying to build another Stanley Cup winner. F Steven Stamkos – $8.5MM through 2023-24, NMC D Erik Cernak – He won’t blow anyone away offensively by any stretch but Cernak has settled into a strong defensive role and has been an anchor on what has been one of the better penalty kills among teams that have gone relatively deep into the playoffs.  Like Cirelli and Sergachev, he isn’t eligible for salary arbitration which will hurt his earnings upside a bit so a bridge contract is expected.  Even so, he should at least triple his $735K qualifying offer. Trying to convince one (likely two) of these players to waive their trade protection to leave a Cup-winning team to go somewhere where the tax situation may not be as favorable is where BriseBois finds himself right now.  This is something that’s going to be much easier said than done in this cap environment. The offseason is now upon us with the Stanley Cup being awarded last week.  Having covered all of the teams that missed the postseason or were eliminated before the Stanley Cup Final, let’s take a look at the teams in that final matchup.  After covering the Stars on Sunday, we wrap up our annual series with the Lightning.  The full series can be found here. D Ryan McDonagh – $6.75MM through 2025-26, NTC Must read content, player grades, stuff you can't get anywhere else. October 5, 2020 at 8:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments. Tampa Bay has nearly $69MM in cap commitments for next season already, per CapFriendly.  That spending only gets them a goalie, two defensemen, and seven forwards.  With an $81.5MM cap, that leaves them less than $13MM to fill out half of their roster while having two of the top young restricted free agents needing new deals.  There’s no sugar coating it – they need to clear out a notable contract or two.  However, of the 10 players signed, only two don’t have trade protection and those two – Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy – aren’t going anywhere.  GM Julien BriseBois will have his work cut out for him when their series against Dallas comes to an end. There are two notable restricted free agents that Tampa Bay has to try to re-sign with their limited cap space in defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and center Anthony Cirelli.  With their cap situation and limitations on moving money with all of the trade protection in place, both players are prime offer sheet targets if someone wants to try to force their hand. I think they ought to ask Stamkos if he will take a trade. D Victor Hedman – $7.875MM through 2024-25, NMC Needless to say, that’s not a spot that they’re going to want to be in with him.  Getting an early extension done will be a top priority a year from now but for them to be able to afford it (it should check in close to Kucherov’s price tag), they’re going to have to free up some cap room to have three players making that much money. Please login to leave a reply. F Tyler Johnson – $5MM through 2023-24, NTC Other UFAs: G Mike Condon, D Cameron Gaunce, G Spencer Martin, D Jan Rutta, D Luke Schenn, D Patrick Sieloff, G Scott Wedgewood. So, yeah, I don’t think TJ is going to the Ducks… or at least not this offseason. These are cookies that are required to provide you with features or services that you have requested. D Zach Bogosian – Expectations were quite low after his deal with the Sabres was terminated but he has fit in nicely with the Lightning.  Between the regular season and playoffs, he has averaged around 18 minutes per game and has held his own.  It was risky walking away from more guaranteed money had he reported to Buffalo’s AHL affiliate but had he done that, there’s a good chance he wouldn’t have had much interest in free agency.  He should have several suitors now so this decision is one that has certainly worked out for him. Let’s look at their cap situation quickly.  At the moment, they have just over $76MM in commitments to 16 players for next season.  However, they have several key restricted free agents to re-sign and have to fill out the rest of their roster as well.  One, if not two, high-salaried players will need to go.  Here’s the listing of their veterans making $4MM or more and their trade protection: F Nikita Kucherov – $9.5MM through 2026-27, NMC That’s something that BriseBois will have in mind as he tries to navigate this tricky salary cap situation.  There are two windows to try to open up cap space for.  One is to simply be in compliance for next season but there will be even more motivation to try to clear out players signed beyond 2021-22 to give them the space needed to lock up Point as early as a year from now. September 18, 2020 at 8:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 7 Comments. Tampa Bay would demand … After winning the 2020 Stanley Cup, they are pressed against the salary cap. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. F Ondrej Palat – $5.3MM through 2021-22, NTC F Patrick Maroon – Gone are the days where there were teams hoping that he could be part of a top-six forward group but Maroon has shown that he can still contribute in a more limited role.  Anyone looking for grit and leadership in their bottom six should show interest in Maroon, especially if he’s willing to take a deal close to the $900K he made this season.  With many teams being limited in what they can spend this offseason, he should have a longer list of suitors this time around. All rights reserved. With an $81.5MM cap, that leaves them less than $13MM to fill out half of their roster while having two of the top young restricted free agents needing new deals. Enter your email to read this article for free. Meanwhile, Cirelli had a breakout year offensively with 16 goals and 28 assists in 68 games but that’s not the only reason he’ll be highly coveted.  The 23-year-old has already become a high-end defensive player and finished fourth in Selke Trophy balloting this season.  The various injuries throughout the season gave Cirelli a chance to showcase himself as a top-six forward and he made the most of it, sending notice around the league that he’s ready for that role on a full-time basis.  Assuming Stamkos shifts to the wing more permanently next season, the Lightning should be able to give him that spot. That spending only gets them a goalie, two defensemen, and seven forwards. It looks like he is from Washington so maybe moving back their would entice him to waive that clause. F Yanni Gourde – $5.166MM through 2024-25, NTC You could probably land someone with similar production due to being a reigning cup winner and players wanting a crack at a cup. Yet it won’t be easy for the Lightning as they finally face the salary-cap reckoning that has been coming for some time. For more information about Cookies and how to adjust them, please see our. What we’re hearing about the Lightning’s struggle to clear cap space. Point’s three-year deal last offseason gave the Lightning some short-term flexibility and to their credit, they made the most of it, utilizing that space to add several key depth players that helped them win the Stanley Cup.  But he’ll be eligible for a new deal starting next offseason and if an extension can’t be reached, he’ll enter the 2022 offseason one year away from UFA eligibility. Offseason Keys 2020| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay has around $79 million of an $81.5 million flat cap already committed to just 18 players, with star RFAs Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli … D Mikhail Sergachev – The 22-year-old hasn’t had that big leap offensively since he picked up 40 points in his rookie season; he hasn’t reached that mark since.  However, he has gone from being a player who had to be sheltered on the third pairing into a capable top-four defender that has shown considerable improvement in his own end.  That will undoubtedly catch the eye of any GM that wants to try an offer sheet and isn’t impressed with the current trade or UFA options.  If one of those doesn’t materialize (which is the likelier scenario), a short-term contract will probably be the outcome since they don’t have much in the way of cap space to work with this offseason.