After the lift comes the let down. The euphoric effects of the fizzy lifting drinks have worn off and now the hang over or all hang overs is setting in.
The Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning have a busted salary cap and now the club must say goodbye to a core player or two.
That's what happens when NHL GMs and owners go all-in to win Lord Stanley's Cup. Its like Christmas shopping: Max out your credit cards then pay for it for the rest of the next year.
On Tuesday, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois has re-signed Erik Cernak and Jan Rutta, his two free agent defensemen to hometown haircuts.
Cernak signed for $2.96M AAV for three years while Ruttaa signed for two years at $1.3M AAV.
In November, BriseBois was able to get top four restricted free agent defenseman Mikahil Sergachev inked to a team-friendly three-year, $14.4 million contract extension.
My friends @PuckPedia report the two signings have BriseBois at $87.6 million, which is $6.1 million over the NHL salary cap of $81.5 million with the new NHL season set to begin in 22 days.
BriseBois isn't going to be able to return his empty beer bottles to find the extra cash to pay the bills. He is going to have to subtract some heavy salaries from his cap.
BriseBois still has to re-sign his star-on-the-rise center Anthony Cirelli to a new long-term contract. Cirelli is a restricted free agent and will command north of $4M AAV on a two or three-year bridge deal.
BriseBois must also find the cash to sign RFA forwards Mathieu Joseph, Alexander Volkov and Dominik Masin.
Something’s got to give.
It’s a no brainer. Now BriseBois has to trade a sizable contract (See: Alex Killorn or Tyler Johnson ). Killorn, 31, is under contract to Tampa for three more seasons at $4.45M AAV while Johnson is a $5M AAV for the next for years. Killorn has a modified no trade clause in his contract. Johnson has a no trade clause for this season that converts to a modified no trade clause for the last three seasons of the deal.
BriseBois must also make a final decision on whether he will place Nikita Kucherov or Steven Stamkos on long term injured reserve.
Kucherov (hip) received an injection in his hip last week, and could end up on LTIR if it fails to respond by next week.
Stamkos had abdominal surgery in October and is said to be "on track" to be ready for the start of the season.
Why have there been no trades inside the NHL yet this week? My guess is that the NHL general managers and the player agents are being respectful of the Christmas holidays.
Technically, the NHL is in the midst of the holiday roster freeze.
My educated guess is that NHL GMs and agents have spoken and have *agreed* to hold off in making trades until after the Christmas holiday. Remember that in a normal NHL season, the roster freeze lasts from Dec. 19 to Dec. 27.
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) December 22, 2020
The trades likely have been agreed to and have been stashed in the top drawer of the desk.
I'm expecting many trades to to be announced on Boxing Day!
Can't wait!
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