Team: 2019-20 Tampa Bay Lightning

Initial Creation Date: May 23, 2019

Published: May 23, 2019

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I'm not sure how realistic the returns are on these trades, but they honestly don't matter too much. I think Miller would fit well with NYI, who desperately needs a forward who can score. Palat could be an improvement on Jost, who is mostly defensive and has struggled to provide the scoring Palat can for an Avalanche team which needs more depth. Meanwhile, Jost is young, meaning he's more cost-controlled and the Lightning are quite good at developing young players.

Neither team involved in the trades have cap issues, which is why I don't think taking on extra cap is really that much of an issue. NYI basically gets a very productive forward without having to overpay. COL gets an upgrade to one of their players and some veteran experience in exchange for a few million dollars in cap space.

As for the Lightning, we'd be totally screwed after the season ends, and Sergachev and Cirelli - if not Vasilevskiy (who I think the Lightning would do pretty much anything to keep) - could walk. If Vasilevskiy and Cirelli both agree to discounts, maybe it's only Sergachev. If Killorn agrees to a trade, it would certainly help. Either way, we'd definitely be losing a pretty good player. Of course, this is contingent upon Palat agreeing to be moved, but he'd be on a dangerous team within a couple of years.

I don't think this is likely, and I'm not sure if Karlsson really fulfills a need. But if this type of thing is a possibility, I think it proves that the Lightning would be fine adding an expensive UFA like Panarin instead, if he agrees, and certainly that they would be fine just maintaining their current roster for at least another season. They are running out of time to win a Cup, though, and whatever they plan to do, they should do now.

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