Tampa Bay Lightning: Which Players Could Be Moved By The Trade Deadline?

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Nick H asks: Will Matt Carle be moved by the trade deadline?

I haven’t done one of these in a while, so I decided that im going to make this one a bit longer. This weeks question specifically asks just about Matt Carle being moved. We will talk about Carle and the potential move before the deadline, but we will also talk about other Tampa Bay Lightning players that could be moved before the trade deadline.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a team built on speed, and the system they play in under Head Coach Jon Cooper allows them to use their speed in order to create offensive chances while also playing a solid defensive game. Many of the players on this current Lightning roster play this system very well, and if they were to be moved, they would need to be replaced by a player that, in theory, can play the system better or just as well as the person they replaced.

Some of these players could be traded for draft picks and prospects while others could have other NHL players from other teams tied into the deal. That depends on the players the Lightning decide that they want to deal. At this point in the season, do I expect a shakeup in the roster? Yes. Will everything I mention in this article actually happen No. But, if there were moves that were to be made, these are the players who would most likely be shipped off.

Next: First, The Untouchables

Oct 29, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman

Victor Hedman

(77) skates against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Lets first start with the players that absolutely will not be moved during the trade deadline. These players, refereed to ‘untouchables’, are the players that General Manager Steve Yzerman will not move. They are usually cornerstones of the team or young players with team friendly deals.

For the forward unit, it is pretty easy to identify the untouchables on the roster. The triplets, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Nikita Kucherov, are three of the main names that will not be moved. They are some of the cornerstones of this team and are also on club friendly deals (for now). Other forwards who will not be moved are Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, and Vladislav Namestnikov.

Jonathan Drouin is one of those young players who Yzerman will not look to move. In just his second NHL season, many fans already think its time to call Drouin a bust. As I explain in this article here, Jonathan Drouin is not going anywhere.

Valtteri Filppula is not really untouchable, but he is one of those players you could see being moved in the offseason instead of the trade deadline. Doubt you see Filppula moved before the trade deadline.

On the blue line, two names that jump out at you immediately are Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman. Not many teams are looking to move top-pair defenseman, and the Lightning will not do so either. Andrej Sustr and Jason Garrison are two of the other defenseman that will not be moved. Sustr due to his club friendly deal and Garrison is another key member of the Lightning blue line.

Between the pipes, Andrei Vasilevskiy is the first name you think about when it comes to being an untouchable. Vasilevskiy, and not Ben Bishop, is the netminder of the future for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Right now, Ben Bishop is the bridge as Vasy continues to improve and gain valuable experience.

As for Ben Bishop, I would not necessarily call him an untouchable. Now, it is very likely he is not traded midseason, but at the same time, I could easily see him being moved during the offseason.

Oct 8, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing J.T. Brown (23) against the Philadelphia Flyers works out prior to the game at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Before I get stated about Brown potentially being moved else wear before the trade deadline, I would just like to talk about how impressed I have been with him this season. When the season began, Brown was one of those players who has not been overly impressive during his time in Tampa Bay and is in the last year of him contract. If you were to ask me at the beginning of the year if Brown was going to be resigned, I would have told you no. Now, if he makes it past the trade deadline, I would love to see the Lightning resign him.

Related: J.T. Brown Continues To Show Value

Now, the NHL is a business, and moving Brown would purely be a business decision. That impressive play I was talking about earlier? Well, it might work against J.T. come trade deadline time. Brown is in the last year of his contract, and is a restricted free agent come July 1st, 2016. If his impressive play continues, Brown could be looking for a raise that the Lightning may not be able to afford. This will be a constant theme as this article progresses.

Again, J.T. Brown has done nothing but impress this season, but in a salary cap world, if you have someone that can come and take your place, you end up being expendable. In Brown’s case, the timing of what looks to be his breakout season, combined with the potential salary cap woes the Lightning could face and the talent in the minor leagues that could replace him, could make Brown an easy candidate to be moved for draft picks or prospects come early February.

Taking Browns place would be Jonathan Marchessualt, who has impressed during his time with the Lightning this season. Marchessualt may not have the top end speed Brown has, but he has the ability to forecheck like Brown does with a better shot and finishing ability. Think about it, if the team could deal Brown in order to save money and gain draft picks/prospects while easily replacing him with a player that could be better in the long run? I’ll take it. Sorry, J.T.

Next: Alex Killorn

Nov 7, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn (17) in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Ah, another casualty of the salary cap. Forward Alex Killorn is currently in the final year of a two-year, $5.1 million dollar contract and is set to become a restricted free agent following the end of the 2015-16 season. Though the team would love Killorn to be apart of future plans, it is unlikely to happen.

Related: Lightning Salary Cap Situation Will Affect Team’s Long Term Plans

With Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman needing to be resigned (Steven Stamkos potentially as well) Killorn’s future cap hit is something the Lightning will not be able to afford. Unlike somebody like Filppula or Bishop, the Lightning would not be able to wait till after the season to trade him, so if the team wants to get something back for him, it is now or never.

At this point in his career, Killorn will be turning 27 and will be looking for the biggest deal of his career. The Lightning will not be able to afford Killorn past this year, so why let him walk without getting something in return?

Killorn can help a team win games. Ideally, the Lightning could come away with a couple of draft picks or prospects for a player that will most likely walk at the end of the season anyways.

To replace Killorn, Vladislav Namestnikov has proven that he was what it takes to play top-six forward minutes. When the Lightning are finally at full strength, it wouldn’t surprise me if Killorn ends up on the third line with Cedric Paquette and Ryan Callahan. That is, if the triplets are reunited and Namestnikov and Jonathan Drouin are on the top line with Steven Stamkos.

Next: Matt Carle And The Tampa Bay Lightning Defense

Nov 7, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos (91) in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Last but not least, the Lightning captain. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past six months, you have heard about the Steven Stamkos contract situation. The former first overall pick of the 2008 NHL draft is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the end of the 2015-16 season, and the situation is starting to become foggier and foggier as the season rolls on.

So, Tampa Bay Lightning fans, is it a crazy thought to trade Steven Stamkos? The Lightning captain will be expecting a raise of about $3-5 million dollars on his next long-term deal and that will take a huge chunk out of the Lightning salary cap that must fit the contracts of Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Ben Bishop, Ondrej Palat, and Tyler Johnson in the next few years. Can the Lightning make this work? The plain answer is: They must.

Where would the Tampa Bay Lightning be at this point of the season without the 19 points of Steven Stamkos? More importantly, where would the team be without his 11 goals? He leads the team in both categories and it isn’t even close. Victor Hedman ranks second on the team in points with 13 and Nikita Kucherov ranks second on the team in goals with six. Take away the goals of Stamkos, and you are turning a .500 team into a team that could be next to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres in the cellar of the Atlantic Division.

Now, a lot of things have gone against the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Injuries have mounted all season, but with the amount of talent on this team, they should still be scoring more than they have been. Trading Steven Stamkos could bring a haul of riches to the Tampa Bay Lightning organization that could include some of the top young prospects and draft picks from the team Stamkos is traded to, but this option must be a last resort.

Unless Steven Stamkos tells Lightning management before the NHL trade deadline that he will not re-sign with the Lightning, then the Lightning cannot afford to trade him. He is the undisputed leader of this team and obviously the team’s best player. Though there is still the risk of Stamkos walking away as a UFA without the Lightning getting anything in return, the team must do everything it can to keep Stamkos in Lightning blue.

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