Yesterday, the Lightning announced that they signed forward Alex Killorn to a seven-year, $31.15 million deal. Naturally, that news reignited questions of whether Ben Bishop could find himself on a new team this season.
Here’s what the Lightning’s cap situation looks like.
With Killorn signed at $4.45M AAV, #Lightning have $8.53M in estimated cap space. Still have to sign:
Namestnikov
Kucherov
Nesterov
Gourde— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 17, 2016
But even with the Killorn deal, Bolts general manager Steve Yzerman said he’s “more than happy” to start the year with both Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy on the roster.
How does Tampa Bay create cap space? Veteran center Valtteri Filppula, with a $5 million hit the next two seasons, is a strong candidate to be moved, especially if Namestnikov is signed. Other players with trade value include defenseman Jason Garrison ($4.6 million the next two years) and goaltender Ben Bishop, who is entering the last year of his deal at $5.95 million. Backup goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was signed to a three-year extension on July 1. Yzerman has said he likely would have to trade a goalie or risk losing one before the June expansion draft.
Asked if there has been clarity on the goalie situation, Yzerman said, “Things are very quiet right now. We’re more than happy to go into the season with both goalies.”
There’s more about the Lightning at the link. [Tampa Bay Times]
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Mike Heika shares his take on which prospects to watch out for, and predicts that Devin Shore is well on his way to landing a roster spot. [SportsDayDFW]
Both Bruce Boudreau and the Wild have high hopes for the 2016-17 season. [Sports Illustrated]
From John Scott’s All-Star Game performance to Alex Ovechkin‘s 50-goal season, the top 10 story lines that defined 2015-16. [The Hockey News]
What sort of effect does the NHL’s level of parity have on its popularity with fans? [Today’s Slapshot]
I hope everyone celebrated accordingly yesterday.
What’s your favorite flavour? Players weigh in on National Ice Cream Day. https://t.co/36RiY8CmXZ
— NHL (@NHL) July 17, 2016
The Blues have two young goalie prospects—Ville Husso and Luke Opilka—who could play backup for Jake Allen this year. [NHL]
The Islanders are hoping that forwards P.A. Parenteau and Andrew Ladd can help fill the void left by the departures of Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen. [NHL]
In the years since his father, former NHL Paul Nicholson, committed suicide, Brett Nicholson has focused on helping athletes prepare for life after retirement. [The Hockey News]
If RFA Mike Hoffman gets his way, he’d like to stay with the Senators. [TSN]
And finally, P.K. Subban looks right at home in Nashville.
Howdy and welcome to #Smashville, @PKSubban1!
>> https://t.co/oM7l4dnTDKhttps://t.co/dIcCeVJ1nT
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) July 17, 2016