Ty Anderson: To keep best, Lightning must find way to shed veteran money

For all his good drafting, Yzerman sure does like to sign okay players to big contracts....

Filppulla has a NMC. That's a major hit the ability to trade him. He's not only overpaid, costing a team 5m; he also costs a protection spot.

Yikes, it does look messy.

I think the Bolts need to find a way to keep both Stamkos and Hedman. I think that the unmovables like Carle or Callahan can be moved with offset incentives. For example, would a trade including Carle(or Callahan) plus Drouin return a top ten pick and a good solid prospect in return.

I also think so thought has to be given to moving Ben Bishop.

Problem for the Bolts is that there are at least 10 other teams trying to dump salary. The market for veteran players is weak. But there still is a market for veteran Dmen who can play top 4 and veteran centres that can score and win face offs.

Filppulla has a NMC. That's a major hit the ability to trade him. He's not only overpaid, costing a team 5m; he also costs a protection spot.
- Antilles

Filpulla should be unmovable with nmc. You can definitely move him by retaining a little if he didn't have a nmc.

If stamkos is resigned I'd trade bishop. It buys you time and the contracts you have to move. So the guy comes off the cap earlier in a buyback or with less term maybe you can trade him. If carle bounces back a little then with only a 1 year contract might be able to retain to move him. Or the expansion draft saves you. Offer the expansion team a 2nd to select him since there's only one year of term.

Not resigning Stamkos, buying out Carle and letting Bishop go will solve this problem. Stamkos is going to demand way to much and will ruin this team as did the Lecavalier deal did.

Filpulla should be unmovable with nmc. You can definitely move him by retaining a little if he didn't have a nmc.

If stamkos is resigned I'd trade bishop. It buys you time and the contracts you have to move. So the guy comes off the cap earlier in a buyback or with less term maybe you can trade him. If carle bounces back a little then with only a 1 year contract might be able to retain to move him. Or the expansion draft saves you. Offer the expansion team a 2nd to select him since there's only one year of term.
- sditulli

They're probably going to have to trade Bishop anyway. Between this offseason and next they need to sign Stamkos, Kucherov, Johnson, Palat, Drouin and Hedman. And those are just the big names.

Yikes, it does look messy.

I think the Bolts need to find a way to keep both Stamkos and Hedman. I think that the unmovables like Carle or Callahan can be moved with offset incentives. For example, would a trade including Carle(or Callahan) plus Drouin return a top ten pick and a good solid prospect in return.

I also think so thought has to be given to moving Ben Bishop.

Problem for the Bolts is that there are at least 10 other teams trying to dump salary. The market for veteran players is weak. But there still is a market for veteran Dmen who can play top 4 and veteran centres that can score and win face offs.
- spatso

Drouin is too talented to include as a "sweetener" just to dump Cally

i know this is probably a crazy question and i am not specifically a bolts fan but in watching them in the playoffs, it does push me to ask this question. is it worth it to re sign stamkos? he eats up so much money and a lot of ills could be paid for with $ that would go to him. yes, i agree. great talent, great player, etc but the team i watched in the playoffs was awesome and stamkos was not on the ice except for 1 game.

is the $ better spent elsewhere? bishop, carle and stamkos going would free up a ton.

This is when we find out just how good Stevie Y is. I am very excited to see how this offseasson plays out

Bishop pretty much HAS to be traded

Edmonton. Dump 1, hell even 2 of those defensemen for some picks. Edm will oblige

What do you lightning fans think of this:

To Flames: bishop, carle

To lightning: poirer, wideman, 3rd rd pick

The Lightning would save nearly in 6 mil in cap space for this year.... And widemans contract will be off the books after one season

What do you lightning fans think of this:

To Flames: bishop, carle

To lightning: poirer, wideman, 3rd rd pick

The Lightning would save nearly in 6 mil in cap space for this year.... And widemans contract will be off the books after one season
- Kunit

No, we don't need Wideman.

No, we don't need Wideman.
- jvar17

Not even if it meant unloading carle? Wideman only has a year left on his deal,
Then he'll be off the books.... You don't need him, but you may not be able to get rid of carle without taking a contract back.. Like I said, at leasts widemans deal will be off the books when it's time to re-sign Hedman, Johnson, palat next summer

Yzerman definitely has his work cut out for him. He has done a great job building the team but now has to maintain it. Article does a great job of outlining issues and likely alternatives. Buying our Carle seems to be a no brainer but is not sufficient to address cap issues. Yzerman should try to move any of the questionable veterans to make some room. I wonder if Callahan would consider moving to Buffalo since he is from Rochester and Tampa could retain some of his salary. I expect not resigning Stamkos is the right money move but I will miss him. You can't live in the past but his one timer goals were a thing of beauty. Moving Bishop is likely going to happen at some point too which is understandable since there is a home grown option.

Yikes, it does look messy.

I think the Bolts need to find a way to keep both Stamkos and Hedman. I think that the unmovables like Carle or Callahan can be moved with offset incentives. For example, would a trade including Carle(or Callahan) plus Drouin return a top ten pick and a good solid prospect in return.

I also think so thought has to be given to moving Ben Bishop.

Problem for the Bolts is that there are at least 10 other teams trying to dump salary. The market for veteran players is weak. But there still is a market for veteran Dmen who can play top 4 and veteran centres that can score and win face offs.
- spatso

No way that Drouin is included in a salary dump deal. You are correct on the weak market for veteran players especially that are often healthy scratches.

Not even if it meant unloading carle? Wideman only has a year left on his deal,
Then he'll be off the books.... You don't need him, but you may not be able to get rid of carle without taking a contract back.. Like I said, at leasts widemans deal will be off the books when it's time to re-sign Hedman, Johnson, palat next summer
- Kunit

We can buy out Carle next year for little cap-penalty. So I would say Wideman/Carle is same same. So Bishop for a B-prospect and a third? No thanks.

Giving up on Garrison already? Canucks were in the same boat. They had to shed salary. Hind site we move Bieksa a year earlier and keep Garrison. Ultimately tho, JG was punted for a 2nd rd pick.

I'm sure EDM would take Garrison. I didn't understand the Carle signing to begin with. He had been traded out of TBY recently for Eminger/Downie. Then you sign him back for over 5 shmill?


Even Jim Benning can't figure that one out.

Looks like moving Bishop is your best bet. You have a cheaper goalie ready to go. If anything tho, because of the impending expansion draft.

Giving up on Garrison already? Canucks were in the same boat. They had to shed salary. Hind site we move Bieksa a year earlier and keep Garrison. Ultimately tho, JG was punted for a 2nd rd pick.

I'm sure EDM would take Garrison. I didn't understand the Carle signing to begin with. He had been traded out of TBY recently for Eminger/Downie. Then you sign him back for over 5 shmill?


Even Jim Benning can't figure that one out.

Looks like moving Bishop is your best bet. You have a cheaper goalie ready to go. If anything tho, because of the impending expansion draft.
- storm88

He was playing very well in Philly and up until last year made Yzerman look very smart

He was playing very well in Philly and up until last year made Yzerman look very smart
- YuenglingJagr

He was good in Philly and he signed for market value, but he has been pretty much a disaster since his first season in TB.

He was playing very well in Philly and up until last year made Yzerman look very smart
- YuenglingJagr

Smart is Ron Hextall.

The D he is building and moving up last draft to get Konecny. Seems to be doing a nice job in building through the draft. Hasn't materialized just yet. But its not a quick process. How do you think Laughton will work out tho?

The Carle signing was at the time a necessity. We had just sent away the ageing Kubina at the deadline and were left with the likes of Brett Clark playing in our top 4. Yes Yzerman overpaid, but at the time with a young team core the need for stable vet d-man was worth it. Problem was being paired with Pronger covered alot of Carle's deficiencies that were becoming more and more prevalent and we are left with the shell of a dman that is currently Matt Carle

He was good in Philly and he signed for market value, but he has been pretty much a disaster since his first season in TB.
- Cloud

Looking back being paired with Pronger had alot to do with his play in Philly

The NMC's will make trading Carle, Callahan, Filpulla & Garrison near impossible due to the fact that IF they agreed to the trade, the team trading for them would have to protect them. Tampa's is in a bad situation indeed regardless of Stamkos.

These are 4 contracts they'll need to protect. They can buyout 1 or 2 of them but it'll still hurt their cap. Trading Bishop - which they'll need to do or risk losing Vasilevskiy - should be the primary game plan, and again, that's not to be able to sign Stamkos but to be able to preserve their core team from expansion!

They are allowed to protect 11 skaters - 7 after those 4 - of which Colburn, Stralman and Bishop need protecting. Leaves you 4 players left to protect.

My prediction:
Stamkos walks
Bishop is traded (and not for as much as he should be able to normally get)
Carle gets bought out
Callahan gets bought out (if they even can - I think there may be a limitation of the number of buy-outs - not sure) or traded for a similiar salary dump but NO NMC on the player coming back

NMC's on perimeter/marginalized players will be putting a lot of teams in the doghouse!

Looking back being paired with Pronger had alot to do with his play in Philly
- uf1910

Good point.