TAMPA — After a slow start to the month, moves are starting to happen in the NHL. This week, the pace picked up.
The top goaltender on the trade market, Jacob Markstrom, found a new home in New Jersey. San Jose claimed former Tampa Bay forward Barclay Goodrow off waivers, giving the Rangers needed cap relief. Wednesday was the busiest player movement day of the offseason so far.
The Lightning’s summer centers around re-signing captain Steven Stamkos. Though we’re still waiting, it’s important to remember that negotiations take time. Tampa Bay likely will have to clear some more salary-cap space before it can sign Stamkos, especially after trading for defenseman Ryan McDonagh and taking on his $6.75 million cap hit.
Keep in mind that when Stamkos signed his last contract in the summer of 2016, he did so just two days before free agency began.
In the meantime, the Lightning have plenty to do before free agency opens on July 1, much of which has some connection to their efforts to retain Stamkos.
Here’s what to watch for in the coming days.
A trade to be made
The salary cap for next season has been set at $88 million, $300,000 over what was projected. The Lightning will need — and utilize — every bit of it. Remember that last season, even with some opening-night roster wrangling, they were just $2 under the cap to open the season.
RIght now, the Lightning have just $5.335 million in available cap space. That alone might not be enough to sign Stamkos. As he did eight years ago, Stamkos seems willing to take a hometown discount in order to chase another Stanley Cup and finish his career as a Bolt. But how much of a discount is uncertain, especially since he was carrying an $8.5 million cap hit and is coming off another 40-goal season.
Plus, with just 18 players under NHL contracts, the Lightning need to fill a few more roster spots even after retaining Stamkos. It would appear they will need to move an existing contract to create enough space. It’s just a matter of whether it’s one like Tanner Jeannot’s ($2.665 million hit) or Erik Cernak’s ($5.2 million) that provides enough space. It certainly seems that dealing a player like Nick Perbix ($1.125 million) or even Conor Sheary ($2 million) in and of itself won’t provide enough relief.
Prepping for the draft
The Lightning currently don’t have a pick until the fourth round of this month’s draft (June 28-29 in Las Vegas). They dealt their first three picks in trade-deadline deals to acquire Brandon Hagel (first round), Tanner Jeannot (second) and Anthony Duclair (third) the past three seasons.
That’s not to say the Lightning won’t trade up for a higher pick. In fact, you’d expect them to try to do so, especially if they are trying to move an existing NHL contract. This is the time of year teams can acquire picks for cap relief. Last offseason, Tampa Bay didn’t have the space to keep forward Ross Colton, a restricted free agent, so on the day of the draft it traded him to Colorado for a high second-round pick.
The Lightning took center Ethan Gauthier with that pick (No. 37), and a year later he’s one of the organization’s highest-upside prospects after a 96-point season (regular season and playoffs) as a 19-year-old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They’d like to do the same again before the draft if the opportunity presents itself to improve a prospect pool that’s thin on star talent. If not, Tampa Bay still prides itself on unearthing gems in the later rounds, and it has five picks over rounds 4-7.
Addressing internal forward depth
The Lightning currently have only 10 forwards under NHL contracts, so even with Stamkos in the fold they’ll have to sign a few more. Tyler Motte was a bargain last season at $800,000, but he’ll be seeking a raise Tampa Bay likely can’t afford. The Lightning had 14 different players play at forward last season, so depth is important.
The loss of Waltteri Merela, who signed to play the upcoming season in Switzerland, dilutes that pool. Merela played just 19 games at the NHL level as a rookie, but the Lightning believed he wasn’t far from becoming a regular in the league. On Monday, they re-signed depth forward Gabriel Fortier to a two-way deal.
Alex Barre-Boulet and Cole Koepke, highly regarded prospects who have yet to stick at the NHL level, will be unrestricted free agents. Both have little left to prove in the AHL but haven’t taken advantage of opportunities to crack the Lightning lineup, as MItchell Chaffee did last season. Former second-round pick Gage Goncalves, who had a brief NHL stint last season, is a restricted free agent, as is Felix Robert. Goncalves, 23, was AHL Syracuse’s leading scorer last season with 58 points but was minus-8. Robert, 24, tied with Merela for third on the team in scoring with 34 points.
