The big money was moving well before Monday at noon, when NHL free agent shopping officially began.
The two Florida clubs carried out their earlier rumors that they will undertake big squad changes. The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Jake Guentzel’s rights the day before, and as the city comes to terms with the likelihood that Steve Stamkos will be leaving, he inked a seven-year contract for $9 million US year.
Guentzel’s $63 million total has reportedly been primarily funded by signing bonuses, which is advantageous in a tax haven state. Vegas, New Jersey, Carolina, and, assuming Toronto’s Brad Treliving is anything like his usual self, Toronto, are among Stamkos’ possible suitors. Although there is still some financial room available to the Lightning, not much has been done to entice Stamkos to accept a contract reduction. The Leafs were reportedly considering Anthony Stolarz, the 6-foot-6 backup goalkeeper for the Panthers, seriously, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Throughout the season, Guetzel was in the headlines because the Carolina Hurricanes forced the winger to leave Pittsburgh, much to Sidney Crosby’s dismay. Although it was an unusual risk for the Canes, they were unable to hold onto him after he scored 34 points in 28 games during the regular season and playoffs. Prior to Monday, a lot of clubs showed interest in Guentzel, but the opportunity to add that sort of money to an arsenal that already had Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov was too much to refuse.
Heading down the lane, the Stanley Cup champion Panthers signed forward Sam Reinhart to an eight-year contract with a $8.625 million cap after he was selected off the open market. This year, he scored 109 points overall for the winners. Defenseman Dmitri Kulikov is scheduled to return on a four-year contract with an average of $1.15 million, while TSN’s Darren Dreger said that the Leafs were seriously considering 6-foot-6 backup goalkeeper Anthony Stolarz of the Panthers.
