The NHL offseason is officially upon us after the Washington Capitals defeated the expansion Las Vegas Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
And if you're a fan of social media, watching Alexander Ovechkin and company's epic bender is something only the 1986 Mets can rival.
The Tampa Bay Lightning came up short, losing to the eventual Cup champs after surrendering a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bolts had chances in Game 7, but all of the excuses and what-if scenarios won't do the franchise any good now.
Vegas has the Lightning as 9-1 favorites to win it all next season, which is the best among all NHL teams. The Bruins, Leafs, Knights and Jets are all tied for second at 10-1.
So why's Vegas so optimistic? Tampa essentially brings back its entire squad.
Chris Kunitz and Andrej Sustr are the only notable unrestricted free agents. Kunitz has stated he'd like to return, but he turns 39 in September and his playing time diminished with the emergence of the younger Anthony Cirelli.
Sustr is all but gone. His playing time decreased significantly and I cannot see a scenario where he returns considering the amount of defensive talent in Syracuse, specifically fan favorite Slater Koekkoek.
The one guy General Manager Stevie Yzerman will press hard to sign long term is J.T. Miller. The 25-year-old forward is a restricted free agent, which means the Lightning get first crack at terms and I fully expect Yzerman to sign him to a semi-lucrative deal.
Miller is a threat in every aspect of the game. He's a solid defender who can score within three feet of the net or blast one from 20 feet out, and at 215 pounds is a physical presence the Bolts lack at the forward position.
Koekkoek is also restricted, but working out a deal shouldn't be an issue unless Yzerman is done with the former first rounder.
Cedric Paquette will be an interesting re-sign considering he wouldn't cost much and is a scrappy, fourth-line grinder. I don't anticipate Paquette coming back, though. Adam Erne and Matthew Peca are both better fits for what the Bolts are trying to accomplish, and Paquette's a penalty liability.
Peca is unrestricted, but I think Yzerman brings him back.
The 2018-2019 season is loaded with returning talent, but it's after 2019 things get murky.
Nikita Kucherov will be a restricted free agent and will draw a massive payday, especially if he has another huge season.
Defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Anton Stralman, Brayden Coburn and Dan Girardi are all unrestricted after 2019. McDonagh will probably stick around, but I can't see the rest of them, or even wanting the rest of them to return after next season. Possibly Stralman, who'll be 32 when camp begins.
Yzerman will have to pull some more tricks out of his cap if he wants to revamp the defense for the future. Trade Kucherov for an elite defender/defensive prospect anyone?
And speaking of the future, expect defenseman Cal Foote and right winger Taylor Raddysh to get a look or two this upcoming season. Both have been playing exceedingly well in Syracuse.
Alexander Volkov, Mitchell Stephens, and Dominik Masin are a few more names to keep an eye out for.
As for potential free agents the Bolts could bring in - I don't think the fans will see any. At least none that are game breakers. Patrick Maroon may be the one player Yzerman would consider.
Maroon's a bigger forward at 6'3, 225, and plays well on both sides of the ice. He'd be relatively inexpensive at 30 years old, but he is coming off of back surgery.
James Van Riemsdyk would be a dream scenario with his size and skillset, but he'll be garnering a huge payload the Bolts probably can't afford.
There you have it. A peek into the Lightning's future. 2018 is loaded for another Cup run.
It's 2019 where things become unclear.
*Update*
Yzerman has sent goaltender Peter Budaj to the Kings in exchange for forward Andy Andreoff. Andreoff's a bigger version of Paquette, which solidifies my suspicions that Yzerman won't re-sign Cedric.
Carter Verhaeghe has re-signed for a one-year deal. Verhaeghe scored 17 goals and added 31 assists for the Crunch.
Also, I'm hearing fans wishing Yzerman would trade Tyler Johnson before his no-trade clause kicks in July 1st.
Two things: 1. No franchise is taking on that oversaturated deal. 2. It would be an unsavory move causing future potential free agents to not trust Yzerman. It's not how Stevie rolls.
But stranger things have happened.
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