5 Players New Jersey Devils Could Still Trade For Today
By Nick Villano
Tyler Johnson
The Tampa Bay Lightning are always a team tied to teams with a lot of salary cap space because they are forced to pay their superstars big bucks. Even if they’re not paying their players some of the ridiculous prices some players are getting (thank you no Florida state tax). They are paying Steven Stamkos $8.5 million over the next five season, Nikita Kucherov $9.5 million for the next eight years and then Victor Hedman makes $7.75 million for half a decade.
The Lightning have to find the right contract extension for Brayden Point, who will likely take more than the roughly $5.5 million they have in space this season. Of course, Ryan Callahan is going on LTIR, so that should help, but the Lightning still can’t go into the season over the cap.
The Lightning owe Tyler Johnson $5 million over the next five years. They gave him a monster seven-year deal that pays him through 2024. There’s one major issue with trading for Tyler Johnson, he has a full no-trade clause. From everything we’ve heard, players love playing in Tampa. It will be hard to convince any of these players to leave the top Stanley Cup contender, even if last year didn’t go as planned.
If Johnson was willing to waive his no trade, this would be a really good move. He’s extremely versatile and can play most positions. He tied his career high in goals last season with 29, and he’s firmly entrenched in his prime. Obviously, the Lightning would love to keep Johnson, but something has to give with their salary cap. This could be a deal that’s makes everyone happy.