For the first time in a few years, general manager Julien BriseBois will have a little room to maneuver in regards to the salary cap. The NHL Board of Governors are conducting their winter meetings, and, according to Pierre LeBrun, the league has notified them that the salary cap is projected to rise from $83,500,000 to $87,700,000 next season. The $4.2 million increase is the largest since revenues cratered during the pandemic and represents a 5% increase that is the maximum amount allowed under the current CBA.
For Mr. BriseBois, it’s really one of the few times in his reign as general manager that he has more than the token $1 million increase to look forward to in the upcoming summer. He’s also in the position where, except for one big name, he has the core of the team locked into contracts. There are no pending restricted free agents that will need huge raises that aren’t accounted for yet.
According to CapFriendly, the Lightning have 15 players under contract for next season totaling $75,115,000. That leaves them roughly $12,585,000 to fill out roster spots and re-sign their pending restricted free agents, although none of them are likely to earn a huge increase in salary. It doesn’t appear that they have Conor Brown’s $2 million salary factored in due to his current LTIR status, but they should still have around $10 million to play with.
Of course, the looming cloud on the horizon is the Steven Stamkos contract. The Captain is in the final year of his $8.5 million deal and doesn’t look to be close to retiring anytime soon. As we all recall, Stamkos was disappointed by the lack of contract talks prior to the season and it led to speculation that the face of the franchise could be on the trading block. Mr. BriseBois did mention the cap uncertainty as part of the reason why talks have not progressed.
Now that he has an idea of what the cap will look like next season, perhaps talks will resume and they can find some common ground. A three-year, $21 million is my guess as to where they end up.
Another benefit of the increased cap is that it will allow Mr. BriseBois the opportunity to go hunting for a his favorite type of trade deadline pick-up – a player that fits his mold that has term left or is a pending RFA. Of course, he’d have to do some maneuvering for this season , but it’s easier to do with a young player on a relatively cheap deal like they did with Tanner Jeannot last season.
The Lightning won’t be in the position to go big game hunting in the free agent market next season, but at the same time they won’t need to jettison players to become cap compliant like they have in seasons past.
Lightning / NHL News
Vasilevskiy posts shutout as Lightning break losing streak [Raw Charge]
What a nice way to start the week. Kucherov with two points, Cirelli with two goals, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopping everything in sight.
A celebration of 1000 Victor Hedman games [Tampa Bay Lightning]
The Big Swede has had a heck of a career so far. Kind of interesting that he played in Game 1000 against Matt Duchene, the player drafted after Hedman in 2009. Yes, there was some discussion that the Lightning might take Duchene instead (granted, not a lot of talk, but there was some).
Isaac Howard on Team USA preliminary roster for Men’s U20 World Championship [Team USA]
One of the Lightning’s top prospects will likely suit up for the World Juniors. He’s likely to be the only Bolt prospect to be in the post-Christmas tournament.
IIHF mandates neck guards for all levels of competition [AP News]
Howard and the rest of his teammates will be wearing neck guards at the tournament as will all players moving forward in IIHF events, which includes the Olympics.
Expansion not on the agenda at BOG meetings [SportsNet]
It doesn’t sound like there will be much formal discussion about expansion or relocation at the winter meetings, rather the board of governors will be tackling participation in the Olympics and finalizing a location for the 2024 draft (it’s going to be Vegas).
The league of brotherly love [The Meridian Star]
There are 20 sets of brothers playing in the NHL this season. That seems like a lot.
