The Bolts
The staff at Raw Charge have answered your questions regarding the Tampa Bay Lightning, analytics, and food! It was a lot of fun to answer these questions so we will definiutely be doing this again very soon! “iActium: I’m a cake kind of guy. Not a huge fan of pie.” [Raw Charge]
Nikita Kucherov gave an interview in russian to SovSport.ru. The Tampa Bay Times have a google translated version on their website. Google is not quite perfect so it made for a very funny read. Our lovely translator, Extragalactic, will have a full translation for us very soon!
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Arena are having a job fair on Thursday, August 17th. They will be hiring part-time workers for event, hockey games, and football matches. “The Lightning and AMALIE Arena will be hiring for a number of positions in platinum services, parking attendants, event security, the community hockey street team, housekeeping, guest services, conversion, 50/50 raffle sellers, concessions, retail and more.” [NHL dot com]
Kucherov, Chris Kunitz, Braydon Coburn, and Peter Budaj were all at the Lightnings practice facility to get some work in before the season starts.
#tblightning Nikita Kucherov getting some work in w Braydon Coburn, Chris Kunitz. Peter Budaj in net. pic.twitter.com/MA6ITqW11s
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) August 16, 2017
Speaking of Chris Kunitz #tblightning. pic.twitter.com/cYbbKtuEwV
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) August 16, 2017
The Prospects
All quiet on the prospect front… Sorry.
The Game
Leon Draisaitl has become the highest paid player on the Edmonton Oilers (for one season) after signing an eight-year $68 million contract. Leon will be making $8.5 million per year until 2024-25. The details of the contract can be found at CapFriendly, Draisaitl has massive performance bonuses in the potential lockout year as well as when he turns 27 (the first of the UFA years the Oilers have signed him through).
The #Oilers have signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension with an AAV of $8.5 million: https://t.co/33JNhg5WQb pic.twitter.com/6U7qiKVvWh
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) August 16, 2017
Mike Johnston of Sportsnet compares this contract to others in recent history, namely last season when Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos got the exact same contract. “When Stamkos was a pending free agent in 2016 it was being reported that he could’ve fetched north of $10 million per season on the open market, but he chose to stay with the team that drafted him first overall in 2008.” [Sportsnet]
Matt Cullen isn’t retiring after all! The three-time Stanley Cup winner is going back to Minnesota, where he spent three seasons previously, on a one-year deal with $1 million. He does have the opportunity to earn an extra $700K in performance bonuses. “Cullen, a 40-year-old center who was with the Wild previously from 2010 until 2013, and is coming off of two consecutive Stanley Cup wins with Pittsburgh (he also won the Cup in 2006 with Carolina), scored 33 goals over his three seasons in Minnesota, maxing out at 14 in 2011-2012.” [Hockey Wilderness]
The Cullen departure from Pittsburgh gives the Penguins a lack of depth at the center postion. Hooks Orpik from Pensburgh looks at what the reigning Cup champs need to do before heading into the 2017-18 hockey season. “After Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins best centers in the organization are some amalgamation of Carter Rowney, Teddy Blueger, Jean-Sebastien Dea and Greg McKegg. That’s obviously not enough depth for any NHL team, let alone a back-to-back champion NHL team.” [Pensburgh]
