New Jersey Devils: Looking At A Cap Strapped Tampa Bay Lightning Team
As almost all hockey fans know by now, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in a fair bit of cap trouble. They will be competing for a Stanley Cup again and have a good shot at it the next few years, but they do have a few hurdles to overcome. First off is Steven Stamkos‘ health. He has a full no-movement clause and makes $8.5 million dollars for another four seasons while only playing two minutes in the playoffs, which he managed to score a very important goal. He is still a great goal scorer and leader. The odds he could waive his no move to go anywhere let alone to a far worse team are nonexistent.
The Lightning have four players who are on the slight decline or near it and make too much money that the New Jersey Devils could target. With the flat salary cap, at least one will need to be moved just to get under the cap this season. They also have to sign a key player in 23-year-old Anthony Cirelli, who is trending upwards and will be a part of the new younger core. They need to keep players like that to stay strong with guys like Brayden Point and newly re-signed defender Mikhail Sergachev.
While the Lightning are in a bind, only a few teams such as the Devils, Los Angeles Kings, and Detroit Red Wings can really help them out. Not many teams have space for a multi-year bad contract. Even the Senators will have to stay away as they have to pay player Brady Tkachuk. So who are the players, what would they bring to the Devils, and what would an ask be for a team who needs the help now to push for a cup while the window is wide open.
Tyler Johnson
Over the last three seasons, Tyler Johnson’s stock has fallen but his offensive stats have not as much as people make it sound. He put up 50, 47, and 31 points with the last of which coming in a shortened season. While at first it looks like a sharp decline, he still averages just under half a point per game, which is above most Devils players and still a good middle-six winger.
His goal-scoring ability would be a welcome addition to most teams. In the playoffs, however, he did have a rough time with seven points in 25 games. It is a small sample size after a break and no one really knew what to expect.
Should the Devils target him?
For four seasons at $5 million, it will be a hard sell to move him even to a bad team. The Devils could do it, but with his size and the roster, the asking price would have to be high to take him off of the Lightning’s hands. They need to add a really good sweetener to help get them out of this jam. This one should be a no from the Devils.
Ondrej Palat
At 29 years old and with only two years remaining at $5.3 million, the contract of Ondrej Palat should be easier to move. Playing a full season has been an issue for Palat. He has actually never played a full 82-game season. When he is playing, however, he is a force out on the ice and would be a top producer on this team. With his play in the playoffs, netting 11 goals and 18 points in 25 games with a very good +14, he would cost more for sure and may be the last one they to move.
Should the Devils target him?
If the price is a mid-round pick, then yes. While this would not appeal to a fan of the Lightning, they will be losing a good player while likely paying another team to do so. From the Devils’ side, they would get an actual NHL player with experience who has been winning for a long time.
Alex Killorn
At $4.45 million for 3 years, Alex Killorn is not a bad contract at all. He is a model of consistency. For seven years, he has been hovering around half a point per game and can play with skill. He also plays with more grit than the smaller Devils, which is a nice add on. The Devils could always use someone who’s capable of scoring 25 goals in a season, with a 30-goal upside.
Should the Devils target him?
Much Like Palat, he would fit in well. He may not be a long-term solution, it would be foolish if this was an option for the Devils to not take it. Teams can’t just rely 100% on prospects coming up and expect to all of a sudden get better. While additions like Andres Johnsson should help and some like Subban was a bust the Devils need to keep cautiously adding when an opportunity presents itself.
Yanni Gourde
At $5.16 million for five years, this one would be hard to move for the Lightning. Yanni Gourde is a great middle-six winger, he really only had one big season where he got 64 points then declined to 48 and 30 points in the subsequent seasons. If he doesn’t step it up big time, this is a massive overpay for a long time and more than likely he is a half a point a game player like all of those on this list.
Should the Devils target him?
His dwindling production, high cost, and size, while not a problem on some teams, would be huge problems for the Devils. He is not of top-line caliber and would not add anything to Nico and Kyle. His size would be a detriment to Hughes at this level unless they had a player who could stand up for them and do all of the puck retrievals so there is nowhere he fits all that well outside of with Zacha. This is one player the Devils should be avoiding and even if offered a first-round pick steer clear.