With the draft wrapped up, the Lightning are back on the ice for a few days of development camp, and the first wave of the organization’s newest prospects is in town.
Five of Tampa Bay’s draft picks are taking part in the sessions, with Stepan Shurygin the lone one not attending. In all, 27 players are skating in two separate groups over the next couple of days, and the camp will finish with the always anticipated 3-on-3 tournament at the end of the week. Every on-ice session, along with the tournament, is open to the public.
The camp roster includes 16 forwards, seven defensemen and four goaltenders. Among the invitees are six players marked with an asterisk, including one name that will make a lot of people feel a little older: Anthony Thomas-Maroon, the son of Pat Maroon.
Thomas-Maroon went through draft-eligible season without hearing his name called after playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL, where he had 2 goals and 17 assists in 59 games. Elite Prospects described him as one of the “most willing and violent hitters” in the draft. The 6-foot left wing is headed to the London Knights this season and is committed to Western Michigan.
For the Lightning’s recent draft picks, this week is less about the spotlight and more about learning what comes next. The camp is designed to show them the kind of instruction and workload that comes with the NHL level, and there are usually a few established players around the rink getting their own unofficial summer work in. This year appears to be no different, with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov spotted on the ice.
There’s also still a bit of business hanging over the roster picture. In his post-draft press conference, general manager Julien BriseBois said he wasn’t quite sure whether the Lightning’s lone restricted free agent, Ethan Samson, had been offered a contract.
As of this morning, there was still no confirmation on whether Samson was tendered. Former Lightning prospects Amir Miftakhov and Wojciech Stachowiak are now unrestricted free agents.
Around the league, a few other names are worth watching. Cole Schwindt, Matias Maccelli and Bobby Brink are among the intriguing players who weren’t qualified. BriseBois already made good use of last year’s crop of newly minted UFAs when he added Pontus Holmholm and Jakob Pelletier, so it will be interesting to see whether he finds another opportunity this summer.
There’s been movement elsewhere too. The Panthers swapped the rights to pending UFA AJ Greer to Anaheim for the rights to Radko Gudas on Monday, a deal that gives both sides a little more time to negotiate before July 1. It’s one of several similar moves from around the league in recent days, with reports that the NHL is cracking down on teams trying to work around the negotiation window.
And Montreal made the week’s actual trade, sending Brendan Gallagher to Vancouver for future considerations while retaining 50% of his $6.5 million cap hit for this season, the final year of his contract. The move gives the Canadiens’ longest-tenured player a chance at a more regular role, while also setting up Vancouver to potentially retain half of the cap hit again if Gallagher plays well enough to be moved at the deadline.
In another notable move, the Panthers added a goaltender, though the question remains whether he’s the goaltender. Schmid at least gives them experience in net at a minimal cap hit.
Buffalo also got one of its important depth pieces locked in, signing Beck Malenstyn to a six-year contract with a $2.92 million AAV. He may not pile up points, but he fits the Sabres’ identity as one of their better forecheckers.
In Other News...
Lightning Fans Will Never Forget How Close Steven Stamkos Felt To Gone
June 29, 2016, was the kind of day that reminded the hockey world how quickly the league can pivot from one blockbuster to the next. In the span of a short stretch, Edmonton sent Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson and Montreal moved P.K. Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber, and the noise around those deals only amplified the sense that almost anything could happen.
Then came the decision Lightning fans still talk about with relief. Steven Stamkos, long the face of the franchise, stayed put in Tampa Bay by signing an eight-year, $68 million contract extension, and in a summer loaded with seismic moves, that one felt every bit as huge for the Lightning as the trades elsewhere did for the rest of the league. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Suddenly Face A Franchise Defining Kucherov Decision
The NHLs unrestricted free agency window opens Wednesday, and with it comes a fresh round of contract-extension chatter for players entering the final year of their deals. For Tampa Bay, the biggest name in that group is Nikita Kucherov, who is now eligible to talk about a new contract and instantly puts the Lightning in a familiar but tricky position: balancing the future of a franchise star against a cap picture that is never simple.
That reality has already sparked plenty of outside discussion about how long a Kucherov extension should run and what kind of deal would make sense for both sides. Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton recently weighed the subject from different angles, with the core question being whether Tampa Bay can keep its offensive centerpiece locked in without forcing itself into an uncomfortable financial corner. [Read more 🡒]