Tampa needs a 3rd pairing LD now that McDonagh is gone and Sergachev moved up and I thought Cole was a good option, but I wasn't thinking 3M. I was thinking more like 1.5
As people are saying, it shows that Tampa loves cheaters!
All jokes aside, this is a bit much for Tampa to give up IMO. Although it is a one year deal and won’t factor into Cirelli, Cernak, and Sergachev’s extensions.
I mean, we needed a defensive defenseman who could play a lot of minutes against opposing top lines and fit well with Cernak. Obviously, the hope is that Cole is that player. I don’t like the AAV though; that’s quite possibly the difference between Palat and no Palat. But if he fills the void well for $3m and the contract expires when we really need the space next year then there are worse things to complain about.