The Lightning are still confident they have enough cap space to re-sign pending UFA captain Steven Stamkos, even after adding Ryan McDonagh via trade from the Predators today, general manager Julien BriseBois said (via the team’s Chris Krenn).
With McDonagh’s $6.75MM cap hit now on the books, the Lightning are down to roughly $5MM in projected cap space for next season, per CapFriendly. There could always be a cap-clearing move coming, although BriseBois didn’t hint at one in his media availability today.
That implies Stamkos taking a serious discount to remain in Tampa. With a bare-minimum roster of 18 skaters, the Lightning still have two open forward spots next season – one for Stamkos, one for someone else. If they add a forward making the $775K league minimum against the cap to fill one open spot, the most they could offer Stamkos for an average annual value would be $4.25MM. Evolving Hockey’s contract projections indicate his market value could inch up toward the $8.5MM range if he hits the open market, so he would be taking a 50% discount to stay in Tampa for that number – albeit likely for more term on his contract as a trade-off.
Other notes from the Bolts today:
- Adding a top-four defenseman was BriseBois’ top priority this summer, he told Krenn, and McDonagh ended up being the most desirable because of his familiarity with the roster and his two-year term. He indicated that he was unwilling to dish out the contract length required to land one of the marquee defensemen on the free agent market, even if he was willing to spend the upward of $6MM annually it takes to get McDonagh back on the team. Back in Nashville, Predators GM Barry Trotz told reporters, including the Tennessean’s Alex Daugherty, that McDonagh asked the Nashville front office to explore a trade back to Tampa this summer. McDonagh has a full no-trade clause.
- With McDonagh back in the fold, don’t expect Lightning head coach Jon Cooper to bump Mikhail Sergachev back to a third-pairing role like he served during the team’s Stanley Cup wins in 2020 and 2021. Instead, BriseBois indicated the team is likely to explore loading up their top two pairings with McDonagh, Sergachev, Erik Černák and Victor Hedman, with the lefty Sergachev moving to his off-side to accommodate (via Bally Sports Florida’s Gabby Shirley). That would leave a third pairing (for now) of Nick Perbix and Darren Raddysh, both right-shot defenders, although they could easily add a depth left-shot blue liner for league minimum to rotate in on the third pair.
Asking Stamkos to take a 50% discount is kind of insulting considering everything he has done for the franchise.
BriseBois said today that both sides are working out a deal. Even if Stamkos takes a 50% discount in his AAV, the Lightning can give him a longer term & can load a massive signing bonus to the contract which won’t count against the cap. Boston did this with Patrice Bergeron as his AAV was just a $1 million dollars.
Bergeron did that on his last contract & only for one year. I don’t see Stamkos taking a 50% discount. That’s insulting. He may sign for around 6 million, but not for below 5. The Lightning will likely have to move someone out to get a deal done. BriseBois give Hagel six and half million a season but won’t pay Stamkos. Hagel is a fine player, but he isn’t Stamkos
No one is saying Stamkos will take a 50% discount but that’s not to say he won’t take some kind of discount. The Lightning have options to create more cap space if necessary to get him signed.
One theory would be they trade away Conor Sheary’s $2 million AAV & Nick Perbix’s $1.12 million AAV which would raise their cap from $5.03m to $8.15m. With that they could offer Stamkos a contract of somewhere around $6.5 for 4 years (& add a signing bonus) which would be of a fair value & also give the Lightning a discount to continue to add more pieces.
They cannot do this, Stamkos isn’t eligible for a 35+ contract
Additionally, signing bonuses ALWAYS count against the cap. 35+ contracts allow for performance bonuses that still have to fit under the cap, or you get dinged with a penalty the following season.
You can only put a bonus on a 35+ contract if it’s for 1 yr.
Stamkos would have to take 1 yr deals, but if no cap room at end of yr the bonus then moves to the next season
His services will be appreciated elsewhere for sure, as time has gone on and things have come out, I’m really starting to doubt that he’s a Bolt next season. Considering all the rumours that went around last time he hit the market, I don’t think he’s so loyal to the franchise that he would take a massive pay cut to stay. He’s done it all in Tampa, I can very much see him taking this chance for a fresh start.
I would imagine he might feel just a shred of disrespect over Brisebois coming out in an interview with TVA at the beginning of this month saying he’s going to have to take a discount. This is the most accomplished player in franchise history, stuff like that just can’t be said publicly whether it’s the truth or not.
Stamkos isn’t going anywhere. BriseBois said today that both sides are working out a deal. Nothing said in this article is verbatim by any means. Even if Stamkos takes a 50% discount in his AAV, the Lightning can give him a longer term & can load a massive signing bonus to the contract which won’t count against the cap. Boston did this with Patrice Bergeron as his AAV was just a $1 million dollars.
The difference is that Bergeron never almost walked into free agency. He never even came close to free agency. Stammer was damn close to walking in 2016 before they upped their offer.
The whole basis of your argument is IF he takes a 50% discount which by no means is he entitled to do.
Both sides talking doesn’t mean a deal will get done. There are plenty of examples of sides talking with no contract coming out od those negotiations. Stamkos should not take a 50% discount. Create cap space if you want to keep him. Don’t insult him
2016 is much different compared now. Stamkos didn’t have kids then & his parents & such hadn’t moved down from Toronto yet. Stamkos said at his exit interview that there is more to his decision than just him now as he has roots in Tampa Bay now & Tampa’s championship window isn’t closed by any means yet.
Also, Tampa didn’t up their offer. Stamkos just chose Tampa over Toronto last minute despite Toronto offering more than Tampa.
Furthermore, yes, my one theory is based on him taking 50% discount but there is other ways Tampa can sign him.
No duh man. Of course it doesn’t theoretically mean a deal will get done but it also doesn’t mean a deal won’t be done. No one is saying Stamkos will take a 50% discount but that’s not to say he won’t take some kind of discount. The Lightning have options to create more cap space if necessary to get him signed.
One theory would be they trade away Conor Sheary’s $2 million AAV & Nick Perbix’s $1.12 million AAV which would raise their cap from $5.03m to $8.15m. With that they could offer Stamkos a contract of somewhere around $6.5 for 4 years (& add a signing bonus) which would be of a fair value & also give the Lightning a discount to continue to add more pieces.
Him saying that there’s any decision to be made should show you that maybe the loyalty isn’t quite as strong as you think it is. The team expecting him to take a discount here might be the thing that pushes him more towards testing the waters than staying outright.
That’s not to say he won’t eventually re-sign because he easily could, the problem is that I think he might see free agency as an enticing option this time around. And the way the team has handled both his negotiations (or lack thereof, which he himself said he was very disappointed about), and now the very public idea that they want him to take less money to stay aren’t really the best way to go about retaining your face of the franchise.
The Bolts wouldn’t have made this trade if it would be the reason they couldn’t keep Stamkos. They did it to entice Stamkos to stay.
I figured that it was likely McDonough was the one to initiate this move back to Tampa. He wants to win another Cup before his career is over and that’s not happening with the Preds.
NHL players are too loyal; I believe Stamkos’ love of crime-ridden Tampa & it’s low state taxes would tempt him to take a 4×4 deal with $15m deferred signing bonus, when he should find a one-piece shy SC contender for $7m x2 (& a $10m SB) like the Rangers or Leafs… Same with BrindA’mour, who’s guaranteed himself more years of upper mushy middle with a team too cheap to get another star forward. Yes the ‘Canes are theoretical SC contenders but will take all things falling together, someone helping them & a calamity to get them there.
Crime-ridden?!? LOL! Tampa Bay has middle crime mate. I grew up in the Tampa Bay region. Only certain areas are crime ridden. Now, if it’s Miami then yes that’s crime-ridden. But if you want massive crime ridden cities go to Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore (which is ranked in the top 5 in the world), Memphis, the entire state of California, & the list goes on as they all have crime rates beyond anything Tampa has.
Leafs are not a piece away from a Cup as that’s a joke on every level. Rangers are already a Cup contender & don’t need Stamkos.
Lol at any pro athlete in any major sport thinking about “crime rate” when choosing where they play.
You can go ahead and pick the worst, crime ridden city in the country and I will guarantee you that within a 20 minute drive of that team’s practice facility or arena there is some leafy suburb/country club/gated McMansion community/oceanfront enclave for people making several million dollars per year to live in.
These dudes live in their own world, they aren’t worried about these things.