Ryan Rishaug was joined by TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun, Darren Dreger, and Chris Johnston. He asked what was next for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Steven Stamkos. Is the Utah Hockey Club a done deal, and what about Jake Guentzel?
** NHLRumors.com transcriptions
Ryan Rishaug: “Pierre, you’ve been all over the Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay story and one of the questions we’ve all been asking and everyone’s asking is, how would they fit him in? How would they fit him in? Well, Julien BriseBois figured out whether it’s him or not, they cleared out a pile of cap space on day two of the draft.”
NHL Rumors: Did Lightning Clear Enough Cap Space To Sign Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman
Pierre LeBrun: “And that’s the question. What does Tampa have in mind now that they have the most cap room they’ve ever had heading into July 1st. And Julien BriseBois wasn’t ready to answer that specifically in terms of his target?
Obviously, he’s got to circle back to Newport Sports and Don Meehan on Steven Stamkos. There’s no question about that. But that doesn’t mean that this is what it’s all about. I don’t think it is.
- Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning have acquired the rights to Jake Guentzel for a 2025 3rd round pick.
I think this is about swinging for a bigger fish. It could be Jake Guentzel. Our understanding is that Tampa has interest in Jake Guentzel and that they want to be a player in that market as well. So fascinating times over the next 48 hours. Tampa hoping to land a big fish.”
Chris Johnston: “And the other side of that Sergachev trade, of course, is Utah which were probably the most active team on this day at the draft. And you know, it’s interesting getting Sergachev, and John Marino. Bill Armstrong feels like he’s got a first pairing now filled out but he’s not going to be done there. They’re going to be a team that’s going to be shopping in the defensive market in free agency looking for another left shot.
NHL Rumors: Utah Hockey Club, Minnesota Wild, and Jake Guentzel
And one thing Armstrong was worried about is that if he had so many openings clearly on his roster, that agents were going to hold them hostage in free agency. He feels like he has a little bit more room now to play ball and name to keep an eye on is Brandon Montour, who has been linked to Utah.”
