Here are five things to know about the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers’ opponent for the Eastern Conference Final:ġ. Follow our coverage on Twitter and Facebook.Rangers’ Barclay Goodrow knows all too well the daunting Lightning challenge ahead Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida. By then, the Lightning will better know where their roster stands. The Lightning have only eight forwards under one-way contracts, and Jeannot would make nine.Īccording to Evolving Hockey, Colton is in line for a four-year, $3.351 million average annual value deal, which could make him a luxury under the Lightning’s cap limitations. Losing both would be a major hit to their forward depth, taking away two of their top three left wings. The Lightning could try to move Colton before the June 28-29 draft for a pick - their first selection doesn’t come until the sixth round - especially if they have any realistic hope of keeping Killorn. Given the bounty the Lightning gave up to acquire him from the Predators - their 2025 first-round draft pick, their 2024 second-round pick, and this year’s third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks, and defenseman Cal Foote - the team will certainly tender him a qualifying offer. He is arbitration eligible and projected for a two-year, $2.105 million average annual value by Evolving Hockey. Trade-deadline acquisition Jeannot is the Lightning’s other potential restricted free agent. He is coming off a 16-goal, 32-point season, a dropoff from his 22-goal, 39-point rookie campaign, but he is due a significant raise after completing a two-year deal with a $1.125 million average annual value. Though he is under team control as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, Colton could become another homegrown cap casualty. Still, the Lightning could be forced to move a big piece. Īt the end of the season, BriseBois said he didn’t foresee having to trade a player under contract, like what happened last year with McDonagh. Lightning center Ross Colton, center, battles along the boards against Penguins center Mikael Granlund during a March game. It’s rare to have a core group of this caliber. It’s the reason BriseBois has the win-now mentality. Of the six players taking up the 64% of the cap, all are homegrown with the exception of Sergachev, who was acquired in a trade with Montreal six summers ago as a 19-year-old, and as they progress in their careers, they command top dollar. It’s the price of winning with elite players. There will be no apologies for such a top-heavy payroll, and there shouldn’t be. His hit now accounts for 10.2% of the team’s cap threshold.Īlso, the raises that two-way center Anthony Cirelli (a $1.45 million bump to $6.25 million) and top right-shot defenseman Erik Cernak (a $2.25 million bump to $5.2 million) will receive next season as their eight-year extensions kick in aren’t insignificant, especially considering the modest cap increase.Īltogether, Sergachev, Cirelli and Cernak will receive $7.4 million in raises, more than the $6.75 million cap hit the Lightning saved by trading defenseman Ryan McDonagh last summer. Point’s $9.5 million average annual value extension began last season, and Sergachev’s eight-year extension, which makes him the team’s highest-paid defenseman with an $8.5 million average annual value, kicks in next season. Most of those players have been taking significant chunks of the payroll for years. If the salary cap ends up at $83.5 million, six players - Stamkos, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Mikhail Sergachev and Victor Hedman - will account for 64% of the Lightning’s cap cost, according to salary website CapFriendly. The Lightning’s payroll is as top heavy as it has ever been, and that’s the cost of keeping a championship-caliber club together year after year.
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