3 enticing trades that will launch the Tampa Bay Lightning into serious Stanley Cup contention
The Tampa Bay Lightning don’t look like a surefire top-three team in the Atlantic Division, but adding one more puzzle piece or two could change that.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are shifting between a top-three spot in the Atlantic Division and a wild card as we enter the next phase of the 2024 playoff race. They have fared much better as of late, so this perennial playoff contender will still attract trade assets to the organization when the 2024 trade deadline rolls around.
Despite still being one of the better teams in the Atlantic and, by extension, the Eastern Conference, the Lightning need some serious depth help defensively, especially after losing defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. A better No. 2 goaltender, for example, would be great, or a blueliner who can slide into the third pairing or even the top-four when necessary. While unlikely, it also wouldn’t be too farfetched if the Lightning acquired one more scorer by March 8th.
Tyson Barrie would rediscover his game in Tampa
For the Lighting, it’s almost a shoo-in that they will be looking to improve their defensive rotation, and Tyson Barrie has a proven track record. Barrie’s two-way game, even if he’s struggled in the offensive zone this season, is an added bonus for Tampa, who could even take their scoring up another notch if they landed the 13-year veteran.
Despite how poorly he’s looked lately, Barrie has still been a major help in the 5-on-5 game, with the Predators snagging a 10.0 shooting percentage when he’s on the ice. This is just the third time in Barrie’s career that he’s helped a team reach double-digits in scoring percentage at 5-on-5, so the value is definitely there.
His on-ice save percentage in the same situation is also 91.7, and while it’s a lower number than last season, it’s still high enough to entice a good hockey team like Tampa. Acquiring Barrie, however, would put the Lightning in the red, so they would have to move some players around.
Nashville can retain one more contract, so in this case, they will keep 30 percent of Barrie’s. The Predators will also land a couple of low-end players with expiring contracts in Alex Barre-Boulet and Haydn Fleury. Tampa would also give them a third-rounder in 2024, plus second-rounders in 2025 and 2026, to bring much-needed help to their blue line.
Anthony Mantha can fuel scoring depth on the lower lines
If the Lightning surprise us and decide not to trade for a defenseman to provide much-needed help in the wake of Sergachev’s injury and land a scorer to try and win with an all-out offensive approach, then Anthony Mantha makes sense. While it would be tough to see something like this occurring, we know the Lightning have been a score-first team this season, so it’s at least worth discussing.
Although the Capitals have struggled to find the net this season, Mantha has been the outlier, with 16 goals and an incredible 20.5 shooting percentage. His presence in Tampa will give them one more incredible scoring threat at winger, and it could even force opponents to keep up with the Lightning on the scoreboard.
While Tampa would still be strapped for cash here, the Capitals should be willing to provide relief by retaining 45 percent of his contract. This shouldn’t be much of an issue, as Manta will be an unrestricted free agent following the season.
As shown in the previous trade, Tampa would provide an identical package to the Caps, with second-round picks in 2025 and 2026, plus a third in 2024. Barre-Boulet and Fleury would be used here again as well, since the Caps would be under no obligation to keep them for another season as they are both pending unrestricted free agents.
The goal for Washington in this trade is simply to put themselves in a better position regarding the salary cap for 2024-25, so the move makes sense for the rest of the league year.
Marc-Andre Fleury would be a textbook No. 2 goaltender
While the Mantha deal is the unlikeliest yet an enticing one and the Barrie deal is the more realistic of the two, Tampa could instead opt for a No. 2 goaltender. Quite a few netminders make sense here, but Marc-Andre Fleury would be the most enticing should all parties agree on a deal.
Sure, Fleury is past his prime, but he’s a much better option than Jonas Johansson. So, as with the other two trades listed previously, the Lightning only need to find a way to make it happen. Much like the Predators and the Capitals, the Minnesota Wild are going nowhere this year, so making a trade for cap space in 2024-25 wouldn’t faze them.
Here, they would trade Fleury to the Lightning and retain 15 percent of his salary, something they have more than enough room to do. In return, the Lightning once again roll with the second-rounders in 2025 and 2026, the third-rounder for this season, plus Haydn Fleury.
But, they will take out Barre-Boulet here and instead send off Jonas Johansson, which gives the Wild a cheap backup for the rest of the season, and perhaps even next year if they don’t land a replacement. However, if the Wild believe Filip Gustavsson can become a fully-fledged starter in 2024-25, Johansson makes for a decent backup.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of February 9th, salary info provided by Cap-Friendly)