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Still Some Work to Do

June 26, 2017, 8:07 AM ET [75 Comments]
John Gove
Calgary Flames Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT


The offseason calendar is moving right along and Lightning General Manager, Steve Yzerman, still has some work to do to make sure his team is a legitimate contender next season.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the NHL Entry Draft this past weekend and many thought that Tampa Bay would be one of the bigger movers and shakers. However, things did not quite turn out that way. The only kind of action the Bolts participated in was of the drafting variety.

Not making any trades on Friday or Saturday is not necessarily a bad thing. I am sure that Yzerman was busy on the phone attempting to work out a deal but the right one just wasn't there. After having to surrender a decent amount to ensure Jason Garrison was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, the Lightning had to be cautious not to "overpay" for another team's asset.

Still, Yzerman has expressed that his team is in the market for another blueliner and a top-nine winger. With free agency opening up on July 1st, you can imagine that all of Tampa's front office is trying to figure out how they are going to make these improvements happen.

The Lightning definitely have some financial flexibility, although some of that money must be spent to re-sign Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, and there are some household names on the market that could spark the Bolts' interest. When it comes to defense, Tampa will kick the tires on players such as Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, Brian Campbell, and Cody Franson. They will also into veteran forwards such as Justin Williams and Sam Gagner.

The reality is that the list of candidates in the free agent pool is quite limited. This means that the Lightning, and other teams, will most likely have to overpay in some way. Tampa Bay just has to make sure that they do not put themselves in a similar situation that they just got out of. The team could still look to the trade market as teams such as the Minnesota Wild might still be looking to move a defenseman.

No matter how it happens, one or two moves still need to be made by Steve Yzerman and the Lightning. It should be an interesting week ahead.
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