Before the start of free agency, the NHL is in a restructuring phase and several teams in the Eastern Conference have used the second day of the draft to reorganize their roster for next season and beyond.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals were the most active, each making two significant transfers, while the Toronto Maple Leafs made a transfer that may look insignificant on paper but could have a significant impact on the next Stanley Cup hunt.
Tampa Bay sent two-time Stanley Cup winner and defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah and backup forward Tanner Jeannot to Los Angeles, freeing up more than $11 million in salary cap.
“We started the day with little cap space to improve our team,” said general manager Julien BriseBois, who added that the money won’t go to Steven Stamkos immediately, as the captain and longtime franchise figurehead is expected to test free agency. “We’ve gotten younger and now have a war chest full of cap space to improve our team in free agency.”
The Lightning got 24-year-old defenseman JJ Moser, along with forward prospect Conor Geekie and two draft picks for Sergachev, who is under contract through 2031 and earns $8.5 million annually. A second-round pick in 2025 and a fourth-round pick this year allow Tampa Bay to replenish its talent pool after making eight straight playoff appearances, winning two titles and reaching the finals three times.
That window for competition remains wide open, and general manager Julien BriseBois now has the flexibility to restructure on the fly as free agency begins Monday. The Lightning now have the opportunity to sign one or more of the best wingers available, which include Jake Guentzel, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Marchessault.
“We hope that this newfound salary space, our favorable tax situation, the opportunity to be on a competitive team and play with some great players will make us an attractive destination when free agents have to decide where to sign on July 1,” BriseBois said.
The Capitals already completed their hunt for big names last week by acquiring highly paid center Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Kings for goalie Darcy Kuemper. On Saturday, they filled that void in goal by acquiring Logan Thompson from host Vegas for two third-round picks.
GM Brian MacLellan called it “an opportunity to get a good goalie with potential.” Thompson is expected to split time with Charlie Lindgren next season in a tandem costing less than $2 million in total, with each goalie having one year left on his contract.
“It’s even below the (league) minimum,” MacLellan said, referring to Thompson’s $767,000 salary. “Just the contract alone – and his ability to play – gives him some value.”
Thompson, 27, was an All-Star and played 37 games for the Golden Knights during their 2022-23 championship run before being injured before the playoffs.
“I have a lot more to prove in this league and I hope I get that chance in Washington,” said Thompson, who was in bed when he heard about the transfer and then rushed to the Sphere for a prearranged autograph signing. “It was actually a good wake-up call. I woke up with it and then of course got ready and came downstairs and I knew it was going to be an interesting day.”
Long before his name was engraved on the Stanley Cup, Thompson made his first foray into NHL Capitals development camp in the summer of 2018. He played for Washington in two consecutive talent shows, completed training camp with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears in 2019, and starred for South Carolina in the ECHL, earning his first contract.
“I’m grateful to Washington’s goaltending department every day,” Thompson told The Associated Press at the 2023 All-Star Weekend. “They’re the reason I’m here. They’re the only team that gave me a chance three years ago. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Washington also traded fourth-line winger Beck Malenstyn to Buffalo for the 43rd pick and picked up Ilya Protas, the younger brother of Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas, in the third round. Malenstyn, 26, is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights who scored 21 points in 81 games in his first full NHL season and gives the Buffalo Sabres valuable forward depth as they try to end the league’s longest playoff drought.
In an effort to end the longest Stanley Cup drought, the Toronto Maple Leafs have taken a step toward improving their defense by acquiring the rights to pending free agent Chris Tanev from Dallas for a 2026 seventh-round pick. The trade gives Toronto its first chance to sign the valuable 34-year-old top-four defenseman.
“We wanted to get as far ahead as we could here and get to him before free agency starts, so that’s what we’re going to do,” GM Brad Treliving said. “We’re getting to work now and we’re excited to have the opportunity to talk to him directly and see if we can get something done.”
Treliving, who signed Tanev as a free agent when he coached the Calgary Flames, called the shot-blocking fanatic “an elite defensive player” and “an absolute warrior.”
Vegas moved quickly to bolster its goaltending depth by signing Akira Schmid from New Jersey and young forward Alexander Holtz in a trade that sent Paul Cotter and a third-round pick to the Devils.
Among other things, St. Louis traded Kevin Hayes and a 1925 second-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for a later buyout of the remainder of his contract, and Boston sent Jakob Lauko to Minnesota in exchange for Vinni Lettieri. This was a center swap that also involved draft picks.
After signing Malenstyn, the Sabres began the process of buying out forward Jeff Skinner’s contract, GM Kevyn Adams confirmed at the end of the draft. The buyout saves Buffalo $7.5 million next season while spreading the money owed to Skinner toward the salary cap through 2030.
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AP hockey writer John Wawrow and freelance writer WG Ramirez in Las Vegas contributed.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
