On the Tampa Bay Lightning …
Joe Smith: Lightning GM Steve Yzerman hasn’t decided yet who he will and who he won’t qualify.
Bryan Burns: Yzerman said he’d like to add a top-nine forward, either it be from someone already within organization, through a trade or through free agency.
Bryan Burns: Yzerman on the free agent market: “Aren’t a lot of players out there, so the players that are there are probably going to get paid pretty well.
Bryan Burns: Yzerman on RFA Andrej Sustr and UFA Luke Witkowski: “Right now our intention is to talk to both players and their agents about signing them.”
Joe Smith of the Tamp Bay Times: After moving out Jonathan Drouin for Mikhail Sergachev last week, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman is now looking for a top-nine winger.
“We’d like to add one, for sure, at least one more, actually,” he said. “We’re going to try to get someone that could go in our top nine. Is that one of our kids coming up from the minors or junior? I’m not sure. But we’ll look through trade or free agency to see if we can add one.”
The Lightning now have around $23 million in salary cap space, but Yzerman won’t get into a free agent bidding war.
Adding a defenseman would most likely come through a trade unless they want to throw big money at Kevin Shattenkirk.
Vegas defenseman Marc Methot could be available. Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said he’d “absolutely” trade a defenseman this weekend, with Marco Scandella, Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin in the rumor mill. Avs defenseman Tyson Barrie could become available if they move Matt Duchene for a defenseman.
“We’ve talked to some teams specifically that may be some type of fit in a trade,” Yzerman said. “We’ve got an idea on that.”