Could the Tampa Bay Lightning grab the hottest forward in free agency this summer?
The Tampa Bay Lightning is a powerhouse team. Just weeks into the offseason, the Lightning is ranked at the top of various power rankings, despite losing in the Eastern Conference Final. It seems that the Bolts have it all. But what if this elite team, could add another superstar?
John Tavares is undoubtedly the top free agent on the market this year for the NHL. With free agency starting on July 1, the interview period has now begun.
As an unrestricted free agent, it has been confirmed that Tavares is meeting with five teams, not including his current team the New York Islanders. One of those five teams includes the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Confirmed teams that John Tavares will meet with this week at CAA offices in L.A.: Dallas, Boston, San Jose, Toronto, Tampa (plus of course NYI). The Tavares camp will also have conversations with 2-3 other teams over the phone and perhaps also meet with 1-2 of them.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 25, 2018
While we all know General Manager Steve Yzerman has many, many tricks up his sleeve, how is he going to pull this one off?
According to CapFriendly.com, the Lightning has $5.3 million left in cap space. On Tuesday, the Bolts signed J.T. Miller to a five year, $5.25 million contract. While Miller is a great addition to the team, it leaves minimal space for any free agents. Keep in mind Cedric Paquette, Andrej Sustr, and Slater Koekkoek are all free agents as well.
$5.3 million might not cut it for John Tavares. There is talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs potentially signing Tavares to a one-year max deal, which would be $15.9 million. That is not even close to the amount the Lightning have to spend currently.
In my opinion, there are two different routes for the Lightning to clinch Tavares, and even a mixture of the two may be perfect.
The first is to trade some players. While every player on the Lightning is extremely valuable, some sacrifices may need to be made for a top center like Tavares. Trading Miller or Tyler Johnson could clear up some cap space easily, as well as potentially throwing in another forward like Alex Killorn.
The second is to hope Tavares will sign a smaller deal, knowing the team he will be joining. The Bolts have a high chance of winning a Stanley Cup in the near future. If this is Tavares’ goal, then he may sign for a lower amount than expected.
Steven Stamkos and Tavares are childhood friends and have grown up playing hockey together. Stamkos could help sway Tavares to head down south to sunny Tampa Bay.
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In the long run, it will not be easy for the Bolts to sign John Tavares. Despite the potential challenges, it could be worth it. Just imagine a Stamkos-Tavares-Kucherov first line. The Tampa Bay Lightning would be unstoppable. So maybe a center like Tavares is just what the Bolts need to finally win another Cup.