It’s been an interesting couple days in the world of the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the pending return of NHL hockey, the clock is ticking for Julien BriseBois as he works to make his roster cap compliant in advance of the puck dropping early next year. The picture of where things ultimately land remains foggy, but a modicum of clarity was provided this week on at least two fronts.
First, there is news today that the Bolts have re-signed Erik Cernak and Jan Rutta to contract extensions. Cernak, for his part, inked a three-year deal carrying an average annual value of $2.95-million, while Rutta signed a one-year pact worth $1.3-million. Cernak’s deal, in particular, feels like an absolute steal for the Lightning. This is a player who can capably handle top-four minutes with ease, and who just came off a very impressive Stanley Cup run. Having his cap hit start with a “2… is a massive win for BriseBois and the Bolts, especially when you consider what he’s bringing to the table on a nightly basis:
Erik Cernak, signed 3x$2.9M by TB, is a very strong middle pairing defensive defenceman who's elite on the penalty kill and also shoots (and scores) quite a bit. pic.twitter.com/ATCjVx4EBv
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 22, 2020
With new deals for Rutta and Cernak in place, the only significant remaining piece outstanding is Anthony Cirelli, who remains an unsigned restricted free agent. Even without a Cirelli contract on the books, the Lightning already find themselves approximately $6.2-million over the salary cap for the coming season:
Tampa Bay Lightning update after signing Cernak ($2.95M x 3 yrs) and Rutta ($1.3M x 2 yrs):
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) December 22, 2020
$6.15M above the salary cap with a roster of 21 (12F - 7D - 2G)
RFAs remaining:
Majors: Cirelli
Minors: Joseph, Volkov, Masinhttps://t.co/qIBiAOS50x pic.twitter.com/Bj4SlX39oV
What’s the takeaway from the tweet copied above? BriseBois has his work cut out from him. That work might be made easier, though, if Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman’s reporting turns out to be accurate. He is reporting that Nikita Kucherov is battling an injury that may keep him out for a while, which would provide the Lightning with LTIR cap relief. Friedman indicated that details are limited at this stage, with further clarity to come later in the week.
While some were quick to suggest a nefarious motive on the part of the team, it would be a real galaxy-brained play to take your best player out of the lineup to create cap room for inferior players. Losing Kucherov for an extended period of time would be a significant blow.
Whether Kucherov plays or not, BriseBois and his management team still have work to do this offseason. The fun is just beginning.
As always, thanks for reading.