It's not hyperbole to suggest the fate of the Tampa Bay Lightning's future lies in the hands of general manager Steve Yzerman.
Fresh off two consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference finals and a Stanley Cup appearance a year ago, the club faces a period during which its core players will be seeking new contracts.
With the NHL's salary cap set to remain stagnant, the challenge will be keeping the band together for a few more cracks at creating the ultimate hit record.
"The next two summers will kind of define our team the next seven or eight years," Yzerman said Friday. "I have an idea of what we want to do. And we're doing our best to get everyone to buy in to what we're trying to do and keep it together."
Here's a look at the most significant contractual challenges that lie ahead:
| Player | Position | Current cap hit | Free agent status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Stamkos | F | $7.5M | UFA - 2016 |
| Nikita Kucherov | F | $711666 | RFA - 2016 |
| Alex Killorn | F | $2.55M | RFA - 2016 |
| Victor Hedman | D | $4M | UFA - 2017 |
| Ben Bishop | G | $5.95M | UFA - 2017 |
| Tyler Johnson | F | $3.33M | RFA - 2017 |
| Ondrej Palat | F | $3.33M | RFA - 2017 |
| Andre Vasilevskiy | G | $925000 | RFA - 2017 |
(Courtesy: General Fanager)
Gulp.
The Steven Stamkos situation will be a significant marker on this journey. Whether a huge amount of money is sent his way by the Lightning will largely dictate what the team is able to do with the rest of the high-end talent on the roster.
That the club was able to push the Pittsburgh Penguins to seven games largely without the services of Stamkos and starting goaltender Ben Bishop may lend credence to the idea of building around the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson, Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy while filtering the money saved to complementary players.
How it all plays out is anyone's guess, and how Yzerman proceeds will not only define the Lightning, but his abilities as a general manager.
