It is retooling time around the NHL before the start of free agency, and a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference used the second day of the draft to shake up their roster for next season and beyond.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals were the most active, each making two significant trades, while the Toronto Maple Leafs made one that might look minor on paper but could have a major impact on the next few chases for the Stanley Cup.
Tampa Bay sent two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah and depth forward Tanner Jeannot to Los Angeles in moves that cleared more than $11 million in salary cap space.
“We started the day with little cap space to improve our team,” said general manager Julien BriseBois, who added the money will not immediately go to Steven Stamkos as the captain and longtime face of the franchise is expected to test free agency. “We got younger, and we now have a war chest of cap space to go out and improve our team in free agency.”
The Lightning got 24-year-old defenseman J.J. Moser, along with forward prospect Conor Geekie and two draft picks for Sergachev, who was signed through 2031 making $8.5 million annually. A 2025 second-rounder and a fourth this year allows Tampa Bay to restock its prospect pool after making eight consecutive playoff appearances, winning two titles and reaching the final three times.
That contending window remains wide open, and general manage Julien BriseBois now has flexibility to retool on the fly with free agency opening Monday. The Lightning now have the opportunity to pursue one or more of the top wingers available, a group that includes Jake Guentzel, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Marchessault.
“The hope is that this newfound cap space, our favorable taxation situation, the opportunity to be on a competitive team and to play with some great players should make us an appealing destination when free agents have to make decisions on where to sign come July 1,” BriseBois said.
The Capitals already did their big-name hunting last week by acquiring highly paid center Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Kings for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. On Saturday, they filled that void in net by acquiring Logan Thompson from host Vegas for a pair of third-round picks.
GM Brian MacLellan called it “an opportunity to get a good goalie with some upside.” Thompson figures to split time with Charlie Lindgren in a tandem costing less than $2 million total next…