NEWSLETTER
Sunday is moving day in the National Hockey League. Teams are placing players on waivers for purposes of a buyout — Edmonton goalie Jack Campbell and former Blackhawk defenseman Adam Boqvist among them — and front offices are arriving home from the draft in Vegas and immediately sprinting to get their houses in order ahead of free agency.
One of the hot rumors this weekend has been the Tampa Bay Lightning, who made two big trades during the draft, clearing cap space for… Jake Guentzel? And not long-time captain (and pending UFA) Steven Stamkos? Well, the big news on Sunday morning is that it appears the Bolts are going all-in for Guentzel:
Tampa clearly feels they have what it will take to get a deal done here; paying a third-round pick for basically 24 hours of exclusive negotiating is a big price. Guentzel reportedly had an offer on the table of eight years by $8M AAV from Carolina.
But… even with the nearly $12M in cap space they cleared on Saturday, will they be able to convince Stamkos to stay? It’s clear Stamkos is going to hit the open market on Monday, and there could be a long line to speak with his representation.
The Lightning have $16.5M in cap space at this point. However, they need to keep in mind that Victor Hedman will need a new contract in 12 months. And Stamkos wasn’t exactly thrilled when they didn’t come to an agreement on an extension last summer.
Stamkos, 34, has been with the Lightning since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. In 1,082 regular-season games, Stamkos has scored 555 goals. He’s led the Lightning to four Stanley Cup Finals, winning two straight. He led the league in goal scoring twice and won the Mark Messier Leadership Award after the 2022-23 season. He is, without question, the first face on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time Tampa Bay Lightning players.
