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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNJun 29, 2024, 06:00 PM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
The Tampa Bay Lightning cleared plenty of cap space Saturday, but apparently not to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos.
General manager Julien BriseBois said the team and Stamkos have decided to let the Lightning star hit unrestricted free agency on Monday. That’s after two trades on Saturday at the NHL draft that opened up significant salary cap space, as the Lightning sent defenseman Mikhail Sergachev ($8.5 million average annual value) to Utah and forward Tanner Jeannot ($2.665 million AAV) to the Los Angeles Kings.
CapFriendly now projects the Lightning to have $16.5 million in available cap space. There was plenty of speculation that the increased cap space was earmarked for a new contract for Stamkos, but that wasn’t the case.
BriseBois said he spoke with Stamkos’ agent, Don Meehan, on Saturday after the trades were made but did not increase the team’s offer to its star forward. Multiple reports claim that the Lightning have made a long-term offer to Stamkos but with an average annual value of only $3 million.
“The plan is for Steven to test the free agent market. Our respective positions haven’t changed following today’s trades. I understand that when you get this close to free agency it can be tempting to see what the market has to offer to you. That was a risk I was taking when I didn’t go to Steven a year early to try to lock him up and get a contract done,” BriseBois said.
The general manager also told Meehan that “it’s the best interest of our organization to explore all options in the coming days, whether it be via trades or by getting into free agency.”
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There was heavy speculation at the draft in Las Vegas on Saturday that the Lightning could target Carolina Hurricanes winger Jake Guentzel in free agency, who is five years younger than Stamkos. The Hurricanes have been attempting to retain Guentzel but have yet to ink him to a new contract.
“We…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40461390/lightning-create-salary-cap-room-not-steven-stamkos
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2024-06-29 23:35:39
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