2023 Trade Deadline Primer: Five Players the Lightning Should Pursue

Welcome back to another trade deadline edition of GM Julien BriseBois having no cap space but acquiring whoever he deems necessary for the Tampa Bay Lightning to make a deep playoff run.

With the 3 p.m. EST March 3rd deadline fast approaching, let’s take a look at the team’s roster and salary cap situation and who would make a good fit.

Roster Needs

What the team needs never seems to change: A hard to play against middle-six forward and similarly physical right hand shot defenseman that can block shots.

Looking at the forward position, this year’s group is fairly rounded-out, unlike last season when two rookies — Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh — were still finding their place in the league. For now, Pat Maroon is still listed on the third line for most games, and has done a good job, but that’s probably a position we would want to upgrade for the playoffs.

On defense, the team has carried Haydn Fleury and Cal Foote as extra defensemen since Nick Perbix secured his spot in the lineup early-on. Perbix looks to be locked-in to his spot, but perhaps we could see some tinkering with Fleury and Foote to give the team more veteran options.

This goes without saying, but any addition needs to be a clear upgrade to the roster. This is not an issue with BriseBois at the helm, but recent events concerning our likely first-round opponent only highlights the need to add difference makers.

And if that’s not enough to put us in a position to act, the prospect of Toronto adding even more would only increase our need to respond.

Salary Cap Situation

With just under $720,000 in open cap space, there is not a lot of room for BriseBois to maneuver here.

Having a potential trade partner, and/or a third party, retain 50% of a player’s remaining salary remains a useful tool, but each retention will only add to the price we pay. With the $720,000 cap space, Tampa Bay would be able to acquire a player with a $2.88M cap hit without needing to make any roster deductions if we paid a trade partner and a third party to retain 50% each.

Any further cap maneuvering beyond that point will require money heading out via trade or waivers, and the team has a few options. Fleury and Foote are options, and could the team even move Vladislav Namestnikov and his $2,500,000 contract to make cap room? If that’s what BriseBois decides needs to be done, then do not rule it out.

Notable Trade Assests

• 2025 1st Round
• 2024 2nd Round
• 2023 & 2024 3rd Round
• 2023 & 2024 4th Round (2024 pick is Chicago’s)
• Cal Foote
• Isaac Howard

The cupboards are looking as bare as ever after going all in the prior three seasons, but there is still something for BriseBois to work with if he finds a piece that he thinks the team must have.

No 1st round pick for the next two years — thanks to the Hagel trade — and no second-round this year either leaves us at quite a disadvantage for making a splash. There is still the full array of third-round and later picks to work with, but for any big trade those will only serve as secondary assets.

Cal Foote has sufficient NHL experience now, but he has not been as consistent in his opportunities as we would hope and has seen Nick Perbix jump him on the depth chart this year. Could he be available? I think it’s a possibility, but only if we are returning another defenseman.

The last time the Lightning drafted in the first-round, before Isaac Howard, BriseBois flipped Nolan Foote the following trade deadline in a deal that brought Blake Coleman to the team for two cup winning seasons. If we need to attach a top prospect to make a trade happen, then Howard will not be safe. Other prospects in the Lightning organization have value as well, but their value will vary team-to-team depending on the type of player they may be looking for.