It’s been Steve Yzerman’s plan all along and we’re finally seeing it come to fruition.
This Tampa Bay Lightning team boasts impressive depth and it should be able to maintain it for several more years. Despite a lengthy list of restricted free agents (including Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn), these re-signings should not break the bank. The aforementioned three players will likely see significant raises into the millions, but other important players such as Richard Panik and Mark Barberio will likely be retained for minimal raises. Let’s not forget that Jonathan Drouin is a likely NHLer next year. The skill is oozing out of this team and as the young players mature, things will only get better. (Photo/Susan Ferlita)
The cap structure of this team reminds me a lot of another bear in the Atlantic Division – the Boston Bruins. The Bruins have heavy contracts for Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic (add Patrice Bergeron to this list next season), but beyond those players, they’ve filled their ranks with a solid group of players on mid-level contracts (less than $5 million cap hit). This is a team that won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and can beat you with all four lines.
The Lightning appear to be headed for such a structure with big contracts for Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman and Ben Bishop, supported by a solid core. While they don’t and likely won’t ever play as rough-and-tumble style as the Bruins do, they are well on their way to being as hard of a team to play against. This depth – combined with the tutelage of an excellent coach like Jon Cooper will have the Lightning seeing the playoffs regularly and making some serious noise. Get ready.
(Feature Box Photo/Clydeorama)
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