The Tampa Bay Lightning made their first huge move of the offseason, acquiring defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Nashville Predators. With this move, the Lightning are bringing back one of the core members from their Stanley Cup rosters.
While adding McDonagh is magnificent news for the Lightning, there is no question that at least one more move is on the way. They now have just over $5 million of cap space heading into the offseason left, and re-signing superstar Steven Stamkos is their top priority.
Due to this, let’s discuss three of Tampa Bay’s trade candidates now.
Erik Cernak
With the Lightning bringing back McDonagh, all eyes should be on Erik Cernak. The veteran defenseman has already created trade chatter this offseason, and now the Lightning have added a top-four defenseman who could replace him.
Cernak has been a key part of the Lightning’s blueline for multiple seasons, so they would miss him if they moved him. However, it would also be big if they could move out his hefty $5.2 million cap hit for the next seven seasons.
Starting this offseason, Cernak has a full no-trade clause, so he will have a complete say in whether and where he gets moved. This and his high cap hit negatively impact his value, too, so the Bolts would likely not get much in a trade centered around him.
Anthony Cirelli
Anthony Cirelli is another notable Lightning player who has generated some trade talk this offseason. The two-way center has a $6.25 million cap hit and has zero trade protection. As a result, if the Lightning got an offer they liked, they could move him without any restrictions. However, this will change after next season, as he has a full no-trade clause starting in 2025-26.
Trading Cirelli would come with some serious risks, as he is the Lightning's top two-way center and penalty killer. However, he is somebody to pay attention to over these next few weeks due to cap space being at a premium.
Tanner Jeannot
The Lightning could also look to move Tanner Jeannot this offseason. The gritty forward provides plenty of toughness and physicality, but he also has not produced offensively as the Lightning hoped he would. In 54 games this season, he had seven goals and seven assists.
When noting that Jeannot has a $2.665 million cap hit, moving out his contract would certainly benefit the Lightning if possible. They also could find another tough forward like Jeannot in free agency at a much cheaper price.
