Lightning 2022 Off Season: "Aggressive Retool"? More Like Cap Retool...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

With their failed bid for a three peat in the rearview mirror, it is now time for the former Stanley Cup champions and current Prince of Wales champions to face the harsh realities of the salary cap....and facing the music of being the victims of their own success.

While the main core of Stamkos, Hedman, Point, Kucherov, Vasilevskiy remain, the other players may not be so safe to stay on.

Sergachev, Cirelli, Hagel, possibly Cernak as well, are safe bets they will stay on as secondary players with a probability they will be given more responsibilities and a chance to be main core players themselves.

But for others like Palat, Paul, Foote....and even formerly untouchables such as Alex Killorn and Ryan McDonagh, things aren't as certain for them to remain....and NOT because the Bolts don't want them, but that is what the salary cap is dictating.

So will have this thread up for the summer and post about the doings of the Tampa Bay Lightning as they enter a crucial off season that will determine whether they can get back into Stanley Cup contention (I'm assuming that is the goal), or have to take a step or two backwards, regroup, then make a serious run once again in about two seasons or so from now.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I'll start with this photo and story headline from NHL.com

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/tampa-bay-hopes-to-sign-nicholas-paul-ondrej-palat-jan-rutta/c-334768520

 

The three players mentioned were thought to be guys who would likely not be returning, and while that could still be the case, NHL.com reports that TB GM Julien Brisebois has had conversations with the agents of all three players about staying on with the team.

How? Well, we won't know just yet, but there is word (will post about those later) that some OTHER players may be moved out instead, though those players have final say as they have modified or full NTC/NMC's. 

The desire to keep Ondrej Palat isn't hard to understand because even at 31 he is still an effective player, works well anywhere in the top 9 (though usually in the top six) and the playoffs are where he makes his bread n butter. Add to that, that he is a home grown Bolt and has deep roots within the team, organization, and the city of Tampa, and one could see why wanting to keep him on isn't far fetched.

Nick Paul has shown himself more than what he showed himself to be in Ottawa. Playing with an overall more experienced, possibly talented group in TB compared to Ottawa, has allowed him to grow even further. In Ottawa, he would have had to be one of the guys to "carry" that group...probably something he really isn't suited to do.
In TB, he just has to be an effective, hard playing big forward who is a regular contributor the main core of Stamkos, Point, Kucherov, and company.
THAT he can most certainly do, and do well as he has shown.
Pretty sure the Lightning would want to maximize the benefits of Nick Paul after giving up the assets they did for him as well. More than just a "rental" seems to be the mindset here for the TB GM.

Jan Rutta.
Here is an interesting one. A player that, at least IMO, was a sure 'goner' because if you look at him, there isn't really anything stand out about him. No big offense to speak of. Not really a big shut down guy, he isn't slow, but isn't particularly fast. Just about everything about him screams "average". So what's the big deal in wanting to keep him...aside from his obvious low cap hit of under 2M?

Well, if you look more closely at his role on the team, he is often paired with Victor Hedman....on the TOP pair no less....and that is something, that if the Lightning want to keep Hedder happy, they'd need to seriously consider keeping Rutta on.

Why you may be asking? 
Because Victor Hedman IS the Bolts' number one defenseman even though he is now past the age of 30. He does just about everything in offense and defense for the team and often switches what he does on the ice on the fly, at a moment's notice, and quite frankly, many of his other defense partners (Sergachev, McDonagh, even Bogosian at times) simply do NOT adjust fast enough to the big Swede's actions on the ice.
Jan Rutta DOES!

If nothing else, Rutta seems to really understand Victor Hedman's tendencies on the ice like no one else on the team. He is more than happy to play that stay at home role while Hedman roams, and he always seems to know exactly where to be when Hedman does decide to abandon his point position to turn into an attacking forward.

I never was a big Rutta fan, as I found he was always making questionable decisions with the puck, was easily knocked off the puck, and didn't contribute much in the way of offense, but over time, he seems to have found the perfect, niche spot as Victor Hedman's personal 'sidekick' if you will, and if that allows Hedder to remain effective without worrying that his defense partner may not cover him properly, then I am all for Rutta staying on!

Plus, his overall game HAS improved, particularly being paired with Hedman who does most of the puck handling anyway, and Hedder covers LOTS of warts in any of his defense partners at any given time.
All Rutta has to do is not screw things up when he needs to provide Hedman with coverage an an outlet if Victor is double or triple teamed. Rutta does that well.

We will see what Julien Brisebois comes up with.

Edited June 30, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

So this one here is from NHLtraderumors, so take that for whatever that's worth:
NHL Rumors: Lightning To Trade Winger - NHL Rumors - NHLTradeRumors.Me

It talks about possibly moving Alex Killorn, who has one year left at a 4.45M cap hit, but also has a modified NMC in his contract.
For a long time, Killorn has been one of those guys who was average good during the regular season, but shone in the playoffs..........except this year, where he had a career regular season, but was a shriveled up 0G, 4A in 23 games during the playoffs.

Killorn is also a home grown Bolt with as much rooting on the team as a guy like Ondrej Palat, but where Palat seems to be able to maintain his effective playoff self, Killorn has seemingly dropped off his production in the same areas, and even other things Killorn normally does (hits, agitates, irritating goalies) was pretty much non existent during these playoffs.

Don't get me wrong, I love Alex Killorn's overall game, even though he could be maddening at times with some of the penalties he takes, and I'd love for the Bolts to keep him too, but if they are exploring avenues to trade him, I can understand, as a neutral person, why.

In the grand scheme of things, his 4.45 cap hit may not seem like much, but it could be just enough, along with the cap itself going up another 1M, and the moving out of another player (more on that in a bit), for Julien Brisebois to execute his plan of keeping the three mentioned players in the previous post.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And then we have this one...reported by Elliote Friedman from sportsnet Canada:
Tampa Bay Lightning working with Ryan McDonagh to find trade fit (sportsnet.ca)

 

First off, I love Ryan McDonagh.
That guy is pure rugged, manly, no nonsense toughness right there that the Lightning are going to be hard pressed to replace even if they manage to find a trade partner that McDonagh approves of (if he even agrees to the trade at all, as he possesses a complete NTC in his contract).

Second, he IS part of TB's very good top four of defensemen (Hedman, Sergachev, and Cernak being the other three, with Rutta, as mentioned often in the top four as Hedman's personal assistant), and that means guys are going to HAVE to step up their games in all areas if McDonagh is no longer a part of the team doing what he does on that blue line.

But then, whey even entertain the thought of trading Ryan McDonagh if he is so valuable?
The quick obvious answer is, the salary cap, to which McDonagh, at age 34, carries a hit of 6.75M...for the next FOUR years!
That's right...his contract at nearly 7M is in effect till he is 38, and as we all know, players who play his style of defense, when it comes time for them to break down and fall off a competitive cliff, they fall HARD!

The likelihood of McDonagh remaining effective till he is 38 is very slim. Realistically, I'd say, if his health holds relatively well, he has another good two years left in him before he becomes an NHL pylon.
Right now, especially with a team like Colorado against him in the Finals, one could see skaters taking advantage of his foot speed, although McD still has his power and smarts to get him through....but how much longer before even average speed teams start skating around him?

Again, McD has full control of his destiny, and he probably likes being a part of a winning team like the Lightning.
But can Julien Brisebois be persuasive enough to get him to change his mind?

Maybe trade McDonagh BACK to the Rangers where he started his career, as NY could use an experienced guy like him on their blue line, as evidenced by the fact the Lightning took complete advantage of the NYR blue line in the playoffs....the Blueshirts also have the cap room to accomodate him there, and McD wouldn't even have to be a top pairing guy there, just solidify that young Rangers team (Adam Fox is the clear leader on defense there), and help NY get to a Cup Finals. So it isn't like the Bolts would be looking to dump him someplace where he will wallow in team mediocrity and endless rebuilding.

The Rangers are pretty close to a Cup viable team, and McDonagh COULD be one of the missing pieces and things come full circle for him.
All this is pure fantasy and speculation at this point, of course, so we will just have to wait n see what really transpires.

If McDonagh is traded, then the Bolts will likely turn to someone like Erik Cernak, whom one of my colleagues, @yave1964 here, has astutely pointed out "could do much more than just be a stay-at-home type defenseman".

Cernak possesses many of the same qualities as McDonagh, and Cernak wouldn't have to be a Victor Hedman type guy on offense, but if he can up his production to McDonagh levels (typically 30-40 point range over a full season), while maintaining his 'snarl' on defense, and using his size and power effectively, he could do well replacing the warrior Ryan McDonagh as a lesser cost alternative.

Edited June 30, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[yave1964]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

I am a fan of McDonough as well, he does no one thing at an elite level but does everything well. You take a look at a guy like DeAngelo who is a power play specialist, one of the best in the game at that role but is in truth a terrible defender. McDonough IMHO is miles ahead of DeAngelo because his overall game has no holes.

 

  If he is traded it would allow them to bring back Palat, Paul and likely Rutta. It is a matter of who you would rather have. Solid aging defenseman can be had right now for a million give or take, Giordano just signed for cheap with the Leafs, there is someone who will be willing to play for the Bolts on the back end if they go this route.

 

  The question becomes, who is willing to take McDonough and his four remaining years, and at what price? Tampa would not be dealing from a position of strength, Arizona is always looking to get to the cap floor, his limited no trade clause has not yet kicked in, Arizona is collecting futures and if Tampa throws in a piece they may be willing to take McDonough and his entire contract. Sadly at his age and at his term 

they wont line up to take him off the Bolts hands. Hellova player tho.

  

[yave1964]

Misread McDonoughs no move part of his deal. It is a full no move without his permission for the next three years, the last year it drops down to a partial NT, he can pick 12 teams the final year of the deal that he wont accept a trade to.

 

 So McDonough has to be satisfied with any trade that is made. I have read the Kings are kicking tires which would make sense because they were a solid playoff team but their defensive scoring was dreadful last year, worst of any playoff team and second worst in Hockey. If they add Fiala and McDonough at that point I think they could call that a tremendous offseason, al before the draft, lol.

 

  I still think that Tampa will get little if any return because of the age/term but it makes sense. If they can get Durzi from the Kings it gets them a young cheap defender back. As I mentioned to @TropicalFruitGirl26I really believe Cernak has not yet reached his potential so dealing McDonough to resign their forwards makes a lot of sense regardless of the return.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

9 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Misread McDonoughs no move part of his deal. It is a full no move without his permission for the next three years, the last year it drops down to a partial NT, he can pick 12 teams the final year of the deal that he wont accept a trade to.

 

 

That's why I mentioned the Rangers in my post.

It's where he started, it's a team with cap room, a team that could use a guy like him if they intend to be a Cup winner in the next two years that McDonagh is likely to still be effective, and he wouldn't have to be a 'top do-everything' guy there, simply settle down that defense with his level headedness and rugged play.

If I'm McD, NO WAY, I accept banishment to someplace like the Coyotes...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Other possible destinations McDonagh may consider are New Jersey (close enough to NY and essentially the same market), who are pretty good offensively, but need consistency (and health) from MacKenzie Blackwood, and DEFINITELY need help on defense, to which McDonagh could be a big part of.

Also, Carolina, who are close to Cup contention. McDonagh could boost them.

Florida and Toronto could make sense for McD from a Cup contention standpoint, but if I am the Bolts, would I trade the warrior McDonagh to a 'hated division rival' like the Leaves® or Panthers?

[Math]

For me, Ryan McDonagh is linked forever with Scott Gomez.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And  even more destinations McD may fit into and may consider, this time out West:

@yave1964 mentioned the Kings. Hadn't considered them, but yes, they are a team moving upwards, could certainly use a tough defender like McDonagh....and like he said, paired with the Fiala trade, LA could have boosted itself very nicely come playoff time once again.

Edmonton would seem to be in need of a grinding, Swiss army defender like McD as well.
But, the Oilers are also in a cap crunch, unlike the other teams that have been mentioned, they don't have much wiggle room on their roster, much like Tampa Bay.
That said, EDM also has a ton of UFA's, and if they opt not to bother with the bulk of those, McDonagh might be able to be squeezed in there....provided McD likes the idea of playing for the Oilers AND that the Oilers themselves would want to take on McD's potentially volatile contract, especially in its final two years.

@JR Ewing, would McDonagh make sense as an Oiler?
I will need to find it, but saw a story saying something about the Oilers trading Jesse Puljujarvi to the Lightning....for whom I don't know, but if Ryan McDonagh approves it, would he make sense to be sent to Edmonton for someone like Pulju?

St. Louis, Calgary, or the very same Avalanche the Bolts lost to could also be Western teams McDonagh may consider.

Edited June 30, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

On the coaching front, Jon Cooper will need to get himself a new right hand man, as Derek Lalonde has been whisked away to Detroit to be their bench boss for the upcoming season.

[yave1964]

Yeah the Kings seem to be the most often mentioned in several places I haunt, I think the reason is because most other teams that make sense are in the same division or conference as the Bolts. That is why I was dismissive of the Rags, Leafs, any potential Eastern conference contender. I had not thought of Calgary, they could use McDonough as a replacement for Gio. 

[yave1964]

4 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

On the coaching front, Jon Cooper will need to get himself a new right hand man, as Derek Lalonde has been whisked away to Detroit to be their bench boss for the upcoming season.

Yeah I kinda knew that was coming, posted it a few weeks ago. I have exactly one source, lol, one member of the Wings organization who I speak to half a dozen times a year. He told me literally a year before Babcock left for Toronto that it was going to happen and that Blashill was already tabbed to replace Babcock. I remember posting in here  six, seven months before it happened and spike and a few other wing fans in here said no way. 

 

  Lalonde a good hire, youngish for a coach, he was head coach in the Wings organization with the Toledo Walleye, was selected by Yzerman to work as an understudy with Cooper. Perfect fit. I respect the way the Bolts organization is run top to bottom and Lalonde will be missed but the Bolts will do their thing and make another intelligent hire. The Bolts are the most cerebral organization in the game, management wise, I have no doubt they already have his replacement pegged.

[JR Ewing]

3 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Edmonton would seem to be in need of a grinding, Swiss army defender like McD as well.
But, the Oilers are also in a cap crunch, unlike the other teams that have been mentioned, they don't have much wiggle room on their roster, much like Tampa Bay.
That said, EDM also has a ton of UFA's, and if they opt not to bother with the bulk of those, McDonagh might be able to be squeezed in there....provided McD likes the idea of playing for the Oilers AND that the Oilers themselves would want to take on McD's potentially volatile contract, especially in its final two years.

@JR Ewing, would McDonagh make sense as an Oiler?
I will need to find it, but saw a story saying something about the Oilers trading Jesse Puljujarvi to the Lightning....for whom I don't know, but if Ryan McDonagh approves it, would he make sense to be sent to Edmonton for someone like Pulju?

St. Louis, Calgary, or the very same Avalanche the Bolts lost to could also be Western teams McDonagh may consider.

 

-I like McDonagh very much but I do worry about the mileage.

-I suspect that Puljujarvi wouldn't be enough to do it, and my guess is that he goes for no more than a 3rd round pick, mayyyyybe a 2nd if they can find a team that values analytics enough. I think this is a self-wound by Edmonton, but from what I read, Puljujarvi doesn't want to stay because the only friend he made on the team is Mikko Koskinen, and he'll be in Switzerland next year. He's a nice, big, kinda dumb, lonely kid, and he's not fit in on a personal level for whatever reason.

-I don't think that Puljujarvi will ever be a big scorer, and I don't think he will ever drive his own line, but everywhere they put him the last two years, GF% followed, and that is the damned point of this sport: to score more than the opposition. He's a first line goal differential player, and a very strong defensive player, a terrific disrupter, and before he had Covid, he was contributing offensively.

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

4 hours ago, Math said:

For me, Ryan McDonagh is linked forever with Scott Gomez.

 

Sounds painful.
But was it more painful than Sergachev to Tampa Bay, Drouin to Montreal?  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Looks like the Lightning weren't messing around when they let out they wanted to keep certain players.
First up, Nick Paul gets his contract from the Bolts... 7 years at a 3.15M AAV for the 27 yr old power forward.

From capfriendly: Nicholas Paul Contract, Cap Hit, Salary and Stats - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps
From NHL.com: https://www.nhl.com/news/nicholas-paul-signs-deal-with-tampa-bay/c-334790516

 

Not a bad cap hit. Now...they need to work in Palat and Rutta.
I sorta mentioned it WOULD be possible to keep both Paul and Palat if Paul accepted a middling raise instead of a huge one, and Palat came down in his asking to about half his 5.1M, so far, the Paul portion of it worked out, though I was thinking 2.5M up from his previous 1.35M, but what he got was close enough.
Interested to see what Palat will get, if indeed the Bolts do end up keeping him.

There will be some bad news of course for us Lightning fans even if these players are signed....because it means one or two others won't be with the club.
Could it be the mentioned Alex Killorn or Ryan McDonagh?

At any rate, I think the Lightning did well on both term and AAV for a player of Paul's abilities. More of a grinder in Ottawa, he has shown flashes of top six material with the Bolts at best, at worst, he becomes a versatile top 9 guy. No complaints from me here.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

One of the teams I mentioned the Bolts could deal McDonagh to (with McD's approval), are the St. Louis Blues.

Sooooo....Mr. Elliote Friedman gives me a call to make sure it was ok for him to publish his tweet reiterating what I said, I gave him the go-ahead, and this was reported by yet another party, saying Friedman said the Blues would make a good landing spot for Ryan McDonagh.  



Craig Berube: "Must try harder to get McDonagh!"

Now, if this is to be so, my question is, what could the Blues offer in return. Clearly this is a cap move for the Lightning so the return can't be another big salary.
2nd or 3rd round picks? Some middling type prospects from their system?

 

Here is the link, for those interested, to the podcast where Elliotte Friedman talks about a few players and teams, but leads it with the Ryan McDonagh situation.

https://podcast.sportsnet.ca/31-thoughts/

Edited July 2, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[OccamsRazor]

21 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Here is the link, for those interested, to the podcast where Elliotte Friedman talks about a few players and teams, but leads it with the Ryan McDonagh situation.

 

Buh bye Ryan.

 

 

This could be a good trade for the Bolts if they ever get Myers to reach his early potential glimpse we saw.

 

So far the Flyers and Preds have failed which led to the Preds to place Myers on waivers last season and no one wanted the 6-5 220 right hand shot.

 

My how his stock has fallen. He just doesn't think the game very well on his feet and then combine it with his lack of wanting to use his size to his advantage and well he is where he is now.

 

If the Bolts coaching staff can't get it out of him i'm afraid no one will. 

 

Not sure what the Preds are doing three defenseman 32 or older in their top 4 making 22 million. I guess they feel their window is closing soon if not already closed. You'd think Paul Holmgren was running that club now.

 

As of now the Bolts have won this trade in my eyes and Myers could make this a steal if he comes around.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

2 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Buh bye Ryan.

 

 

This could be a good trade for the Bolts if they ever get Myers to reach his early potential glimpse we saw.

 

So far the Flyers and Preds have failed which led to the Preds to place Myers on waivers last season and no one wanted the 6-5 220 right hand shot.

 

My how his stock has fallen. He just doesn't think the game very well on his feet and then combine it with his lack of wanting to use his size to his advantage and well he is where he is now.

 

If the Bolts coaching staff can't get it out of him i'm afraid no one will. 

 

Not sure what the Preds are doing three defenseman 32 or older in their top 4 making 22 million. I guess they feel their window is closing soon if not already closed. You'd think Paul Holmgren was running that club now.

 

As of now the Bolts have won this trade in my eyes and Myers could make this a steal if he comes around.

 

I just put a standalone thread about this very thing in Rumors and Trades.
 

Edited July 3, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

So now, with Ryan McDonagh (sadly) out of the picture, the Lightning have new found space to probably keep Ondrej Palat and/or Jan Rutta, possibly both, depending on what Palat's asking price to remain is.

The Lightning may still need to move one more player (Alex Killorn is looking like the likely candidate now) because some players will require raises in the next season or two.
Killorn is a current 4.45M cap hit.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Still nothing on Ondrej Palat, and it is looking more and more like the Lightning will lose him to free agency.

Brisebois has stated he'd like Palat to stay on, so I can only conclude that Palat's asking price is higher than Brisebois is comfortable with (or simply can't if he wants to sign others).
If Palat really does leave via free agency, he will need to be replaced by another blue collar type top sixer, though the combination of that plus playoff performer may be harder to get in a single player that is affordable.

Also, while not set in stone, it looks like Brisebois is going to try and stay with newly acquired Phillipe Myers and NOT buy him out as some had speculated.
If Palat isn't coming back, that should make that decision easier and still leave room to re-sign Jan Rutta on defense as well.

On the organizational front, the Lightning have re-signed goalie Maxime Lagace to a one year, two way contract (750K), though the Bolts are happy with Brian Elliot backing up Vasilevskiy, so Legace's contract is likely mainly for the Syracuse Crunch, though a callup, should Vasy or Elliot get injured, is possible.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

It's been a few days now.
I'm completely over the Stanley Cup Finals loss now, looking ahead to when the Lightning can start the journey to Title Town all over again,  got to see some new blood welcomed into the organization via the draft....and saw the Bolts make some very hard decisions in the aftermath of both the Cup Finals, the draft, and the opening of free agency, to get the team to the point where I do believe, the Lightning more or less may have their roster for the start of play next season.
I understand of course, that from now till the first exhibition game, things could change further, particularly if the Bolts see a way to further create cap space moving forward.

Now I can go and mull over what the Bolts have done (and lost) and then see where they could be heading moving forward, with possibly STILL a SC caliber team intact.

So....who did the Bolts lose from their championship teams?

The first big casualty we all know by now is Ryan McDonagh.... warrior, leader, cornerstone of the Bolts defense.
4 years left on that tough man's contract and he should provide Nashville with some quality play for at least the next two years, and if he avoids major injury issues and wear n tear, possibly the third, by the fourth year, his playstyle almost certainly guarantees he will no longer be the stone pillar he is today....his mind would be willing, but his body likely gives out.

And that, plus his large, nearly 7M cap hit, made him the choice for Julien Brisebois to move out while he still could move him out. This move hurts the fans, and the team, in the short term, but in the long run, for many reasons, I believe the GM made the right decision here, and kudos to McDonagh for actually helping the team along.
Best of luck to McD in Nashville as he searches for Cup glory with the Preds.....but no matter what, he will always be a Champion Bolt.

Next guy gone was Ondrej Palat, one of the original Triplet players (Kucherov and Tyler Johnson being the other two), who IMO, has personified Tampa Bay scouting and development.
A player drafted in the 7th round whom NOBODY really expected much out of, but he found magic in the minors with Johnson and Kuch, they were brought up together and provided great secondary scoring to the then top line of Stamkos - Marty St. Louis-and whomever they had next to them at any given time, at such a high rate, teams were forced to divide their coverage to account for them ALL.

Palat continued to become a hero for TB fans through the years, mostly with so-so to good regular seasons, but really shining in playoff scenarios when stakes were highest and he likely took FULL advantage of the fact the opposition focused more on the likes of Stamkos, Hedman, Point, Kucherov...erroneously leaving Palat to his own devices. And more often than not he made teams pay.

Like McDonagh, Palat is a warrior who does anything he needs to make sure his team wins....and if that means sticking his nose in high danger areas, if that means taking a hit to make a play, and if that means playing the mucker and grinder while his linemates played the "star", so be it.

Good luck to him as well in New Jersey, another heart n soul Lightning player who most certainly would still be one if not for the cap world the NHL lives in.
Lots of talented young players on offense there on the Devils that he will surely add a needed amount of grit and blue collar workmanship to.

Finally, the last big loss for the Lightning is a defenseman who, by all metrics, is pretty average all around...BUT, he allowed star defenseman Victor Hedman to fully BE Victor Hedman on the ice, as he was almost always paired up with the big Swede and probably knew his on-ice tendancies like no other.
That of course, is one Jan Rutta.

A player I initially didn't like on the team, again, due to how painfully average his game is. But I did notice over the years, the Victor Hedman seemed to play his best hockey whenever Jan Rutta was his partner, and that probably came down to pure communication and lack of ego on the part of Rutta.
Hedder may have "carried" Rutta for the most part on the top pairing, but Rutta did his part in doing all the little things, the non glorious things, the thankless jobs on defense, that allowed Victor Hedman to go full blown attack mode and be the threat he always was.

Will Rutta find a similar niche with the Penguins whom he signed with? Perhaps doing the same for Kris Letang as he did for Victor Hedman?
Will the Bolts have a suitable guy that Hedder has almost the same ESP communication with?

That remains to be seen.
I have come to appreciate Rutta for what he is, rather than complain about what he wasn't. Good luck to him personally, if not the Pens as a whole  , moving forward.

Ok, post is long enough. 
Next one, I will be looking at what the Bolts gained and what changes were made to try and offset the losses outlined above due to cap.

[OccamsRazor]

On 7/16/2022 at 11:47 PM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Ok, post is long enough.

 

Yes i fell asleep twice....nah i kid...so my biggest question 7 mill over the cap what gives to get under??

 

Who goes???

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 hour ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

Yes i fell asleep twice....nah i kid...so my biggest question 7 mill over the cap what gives to get under??

 

Who goes???

 

 

Veerrrrry funny, Mr. OR...Hilarious you are.  

I still need to make ANOTHER giant arsed post about the Lightning and what they actually got and/or signed to this point and how those players fit in, but to answer your question first...

Brent Seabrook will account for about 6.7 of that overage on LTIR, but yea, that still leaves the Bolts a hair over the cap.
Word around the team is, if someone does get moved to create more capspace, it is likely Alex Killorn (4.45M cap hit), but that isn't set in stone.

Killorn's name has been bandied about all off season so far, but that was mostly before Palat and Rutta were known to not be coming back, and Nick Paul signed.
So far, on how the Bolts will be cap compliant come the start of the season, GM Julien Brisebois is keeping things close to the vest at the moment.

Killorn seems like the obvious move, but the Bolts don't always do the straightforward obvious thing.

[OccamsRazor]

6 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Veerrrrry funny, Mr. OR...Hilarious you are.  

I still need to make ANOTHER giant arsed post about the Lightning and what they actually got and/or signed to this point and how those players fit in, but to answer your question first...

Brent Seabrook will account for about 6.7 of that overage on LTIR, but yea, that still leaves the Bolts a hair over the cap.
Word around the team is, if someone does get moved to create more capspace, it is likely Alex Killorn (4.45M cap hit), but that isn't set in stone.

Killorn's name has been bandied about all off season so far, but that was mostly before Palat and Rutta were known to not be coming back, and Nick Paul signed.
So far, on how the Bolts will be cap compliant come the start of the season, GM Julien Brisebois is keeping things close to the vest at the moment.

Killorn seems like the obvious move, but the Bolts don't always do the straightforward obvious thing.

 

Ok.

 

Wasn't aware you guys had Seabrook's contract.

 

Well if yall want to move Killorn you shouldn't have a problem finding a taker.

 

Wonder if ol Stevie could use him in Detroit.

 

I haven't glanced at their roster to even know.