Pausing the Stanley Cup celebrations and with his voice still hoarse from partying, Alex Killorn said that back-to-back champions the Tampa Bay Lightning will not be back together on the ice when the NHL returns in the fall.
“We’re all grown men and we understand that in a salary-cap system the team is definitely going to look different now than it will next season,” Killorn said. “Whatever happens, happens.”
Whatever happens is going to happen quickly.
Photo: AFP
Before the Lightning even enjoy their second Stanley Cup boat parade, the rest of the league is already deep in preparations for next season as part of a frantic off-season that could see NBA or NFL-level player movement of big names to new places.
“There’s a number of teams that — there’s just really big decisions to be made,” former Lightning general manager Brian Lawton said. “Now it’s fast and furious trying to figure out what they can get done.”
And there is not much time.
Photo: AP
Lawton, who is now an NHL Network analyst, said that it is going to feel like the shortest off-season in NHL history.
It will soon be a far cry from a team president joking to Lawton: “This is like the Not Happening League: nothing happening.”
The buyout window opened on Friday, teams must submit expansion draft protected lists by Saturday next week, the Seattle Kraken reveal their picks on July 21, the entry draft starts on July 23 and free agency opens on July 28.
The entire ice hockey landscape will look very different, all in the next three weeks.
By the time the calendar flips to next month, the list of players traded could include Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones, St Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko, Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel and teammate Sam Reinhart, Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton and Philadelphia Flyers winger Jakub Voracek.
“It’s huge names,” Lawton said. “It’ll be pretty much unprecedented if it all were to happen.”
And that is even before considering the free agents who could hit the market: wingers Taylor Hall, Gabriel Landeskog and Mike Hoffman, Hamilton and fellow defensemen Alec Martinez and Tyson Barrie as well as goaltenders Philipp Grubauer, Frederik Andersen, Petr Mrazek and Chris Driedger.
The salary cap remaining flat at US$81.5 million because of revenue losses could hurt those players and hamstring some movement.
Lawton estimated a better than 70 percent chance of Jones getting traded before training camps open in September, but was less bullish on other big moves of players with hefty contracts.
“I’m just trying to enjoy the Cup and winning and being around that group and whatever’s next is going to come in the next few weeks and I’ll have time to think about it when I get home,” pending free agent defenseman David Savard said. “Right now I think it’s just about enjoying the moment, enjoying the last few days I have with the whole group before everybody starts kind of going back home.”
Meanwhile, the Kraken are to take to the ice for the first time in Spokane, Washington, for their exhibition opener, with the NHL expansion franchise touring around the state while their arena renovation is completed.
The Kraken on Friday announced that they are to play home pre-season games against the Vancouver Canucks in Spokane on Sept. 26, the Edmonton Oilers in Everett on Oct. 1 and the Calgary Flames in Kent on Oct. 2.
Kraken chief executive officer Tod Leiweke said that Climate Pledge Arena is “on track” to host the first home game of their inaugural season in the middle of October.
“This gives us an opportunity to partner with [Western Hockey League junior] teams, celebrate hockey across our region and grow this beautiful game,” Leiweke said. “We couldn’t be more excited for these games and then to open Climate Pledge Arena.”
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