Tampa Bay Lightning: What Will The Offseason Bring?

As we move into the offseason this summer, the Tampa Bay Lightning has many big decisions to make before free agency begins on July 1st.

After two deep runs in the playoffs the past two seasons, it’s evident who has contributed the most and who warrants a contract extension. In a perfect world, the Tampa Bay Lightning and its fans would want to retain all of its current players because of the success this group has had recently. But, that’s just not going to happen due to salary cap constraints and other factors.

This summer should be an interesting one and the organization has some big decisions to make before the looming free agency period begins on July 1st. Perhaps the most prized free agent in a long time could likely hit the open market and make a splash with another team. That free agent is Steven Stamkos, of course, and the superstar is in search of a new contract, whether that be here in Tampa Bay or somewhere else.

Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman announced after the Stanley Cup Final last summer that his main priority in the 2015 offseason was to re-sign Stamkos to a long term deal. Well, it’s almost one year later and look where we are now: Stamkos still isn’t re-signed because the discussion of giving him a new contract has taken a bit longer than expected.

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But, that is alright, because the type of contract that the sharpshooter is pushing for may be outside the means of where the Lightning want to stay within. Yzerman wants to make sure he can sign other players and not sacrifice the future of the team for a player who may not be as valuable to the Lightning as we all once thought.

Yzerman has done his due diligence in this process of negotiating a new contract for Stamkos, which is why a deal hasn’t been reached yet. His priority now might have switched to focusing on securing players like Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, Ben Bishop, and Victor Hedman. Kucherov and Killorn are restricted free agents this season and Hedman and Bishop will be unrestricted free agents next season.

If you’re not aware, Stamkos is looking for a deal of around $10 million per season, which has become the new standard for superstar players like him and others. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks both signed $10.5 million long term deals last year and are locked in for a while.

Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings was also signed to a similar contract, now earning $10 million per season. All three of these players have something in common in that each is considered a franchise centerpiece and each has won at least one Stanley Cup with same team. Stamkos, also a main franchise player, has not won a Cup yet, though, and has been criticized for not stepping up in critical situations in the playoffs, especially during the Cup Final last June.

He’s a great player and leader and has a ton of talent, but there’s something that’s missing with him.

Personally, I don’t believe that Stamkos deserves a contract of $10 million or higher. If he wants that kind of money, he will have to leave Tampa Bay and go explore the open market. Yzerman and the Lightning will not offer him that type of money. They’ve already offered a respectable $8.5 million contract, which is reasonable for a player like Stamkos, and is an increase in pay in comparison to his current contract.

Heck, even Sidney Crosby isn’t making $10 million per season, and he’s playing in his third Cup Final right now.

Stamkos has two choices: either take the money left on the table (I can only see the Lightning increasing its offer to $9.5 million, nothing more) and stay on a contending team for years to come or sign with a rebuilding club, like Buffalo, Toronto, or Detroit, miss the playoffs for several years, potentially not win a Cup before its all over, and make upwards of $10 million per year.

Ultimately, it’s his choice and it’s something I’m sure he’s been thinking about this whole time. It’s a matter of staying in a great market with a young, contending team or leaving for another market, while raking in the cash. He could go home to Toronto, save his hometown team, and be the face of Canadian hockey, becoming bigger than players like Carey Price and P.K. Subban. Or he could stay in Tampa Bay and live it up, possibly winning the Cup in the near future, for a modest “potential” pay cut.

Sure, the NHLPA and other factors will influence him to go out and seek a bigger contract, but he needs to weigh each and every factor that goes into this process. Stamkos wants what is best for him, as would anybody if they were in the same situation.

Like I said, in a perfect world, it would be great to retain every player on the team, but that likely won’t happen, especially in this salary cap era. If Stamkos leaves, then that frees up space in the cap to lock down players like Kucherov, Bishop, and Hedman. Those three players have shown their value to the Lightning in the past couple of seasons, especially in the playoffs, so it’s important they stay in Tampa Bay if the team wants to remain a contender each year.

However, if Stamkos stays and signs for $9.5 million or more, the Lightning may have to let go of Kucherov, Killorn, and even Bishop. And if Bishop goes, then that lets Andrei Vasilevskiy take over in net, but that’s a whole other story. In short, the future of the Lightning hangs in the balance over this Stamkos contract situation.

I believe that if Stamkos remains with the Lightning, he will have to elevate his game to make up for the loss in scoring depth. But, if he takes another dip in scoring or falls to another major injury, then the questions will definitely be circulating around whether signing him or not was a good idea. I certainly hope he continues scoring 40-plus goals a season and avoids major injury, but we can’t predict what will happen with him.

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The Ben Bishop situation is somewhat similar in that despite having an outstanding regular season and good first half of the playoffs, can he avoid a major injury in the most critical points in the season? It’s certainly in question, especially this year, as Bishop has fallen to some sort of injury in the past three seasons, either right before the start of the playoffs or during the middle of the postseason.

Are these just freak accidents or will the injuries at this point become a trend in the coming years? Bishop is a top goaltender in this league and his abilities should not be questioned, but is he a liability come playoff time? These are just some of the questions that must be running through Steve Yzerman’s mind at the moment. But, after his performance these past few seasons, he definitely deserves a raise, despite all of this questionable talk surrounding him.

Of course, there has been some speculation as to whether or not Vasilevskiy is ready to take over the starting job in goal for the Lightning. He is younger than Bishop and could be prime to have a breakout season with more playing time in the NHL. Some have said he is ready and that he’s still developing and maturing, and the team will not miss a beat without Bishop in net. Others have said he’s not quite there yet and needs some more seasoning before the starting job is handed to him.

At the moment, there’s no right answer and we will have to leave the decisions up to management.

Next: Twelve Tampa Bay Lightning Players In World Cup Of Hockey

As the summer heat intensifies, it has already warmed up inside the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. This year’s offseason has a lot in store for the team and we could see a few big pieces stay long term or leave for good. Look out for updates throughout the summer from us, especially as the draft and free agency period come upon us.

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