On the outside of the TBY fandom looking in I'd make a block buster trades involving Killorn And Palat. Maybe Mcdonagh. But who am I.

The Senators have stepped in the past 2 years. Let's make it 3

It's Johnson and Palat or Killorn out the door. I'd personally pay an arm and a leg to move Johnson if needed, so in my GM world he's gone one way or another.

There's another way I'm debating but I don't want to stir the pot too much at this hour.

NJD could use both Cal Foote and Tyler Johnson - would plug two holes at once.

Trade Johnson and Killorn. Clears enough money to bring in Kucherov
Resign RFAs to low cost deals
Bring in young players from the AHL to fill in

Next offseason, trade McDonaugh

Tyler Johnson is the obvious candidate, and I wouldn’t put it past them to play the LTIR card again with Stamkos if possible.

McDonagh has an NTC.

If he refused to be traded, do you buy him out?

I'm not sure how they'll get McDonaugh to waive but maybe a conversation like this:

"Hey McDonagh, either waive your NTC or we'll send you down to the AHL"

No way. I'd hold onto him at least the next 2 years until Sergachev and Cernak are due new deals. Offer to work with him on a trade destination (retain salary as needed) and hopefully have a cost controlled Schmiemann or Semykin ready to go.

Although Johnson looks like an obvious choice for Tampa, his 5m X 3 years may be too hard to swallow for any team.
Palat and Killorn both have M NTCs so they can be moved but the return won't be great, since Tampa doesn't want cap returned in a trade.
Cirelli and Sergachev don't want to moved by Tampa, but if necessary they are the easiest trades and players that would get the most return.

Yea you could threaten McDonagh with demotion but it would make signing players if the future difficult without guaranteeing NMCs instead of NTCs. Besides McDonagh could say, OK, demote me, and it saves just 300,000 in cap a year and the Lightning are a worse team.

IMO they should protect Kuch, Stammer, Point, Cirelli, Hedman, Sergachev, Cernak, Foote

Let Seattle take one of Palat, Killorn, Gourde, McDonagh (probably one of the forwards).

Buy out Johnson.

I think they will have to give up a lot to get Seattle to take Johnson because if they go 4 and 4 on protection then you have to give up enough for Seattle to think it's worth passing up gourde, Killorn, Palat plus taking on 3x5m contact. If they protect 7-3 then you have to give up enough to convince them not to just take Foote and be done with it.

Now before buying out Johnson I would have conversations with Detroit or other teams like that and see if there willing to take him and buy him out themselves for a reasonable price but that price is probably still a 1st + which I would rather keep and buy him out themselves

At least they make NHL 21 gm mode fun, stuck (only thing is I like rebuilding, but rebuilding with tampa seems silly)