swflyers25
7-12-05, 1:30 PM
By ERIK ERLENDSSON eerlendsson@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 12, 2005
TAMPA - Two months from what should be the start of NHL training camp, the hockey world waits.
And waits ... and waits ... for the combating sides to finally emerge from behind locked doors, signed parchment in hand declaring the end of the lockout. The two sides worked through the weekend, including well into early Monday morning, before returning to the table after breakfast Monday.
The NHL reportedly held a meeting with the Board of Governors executive committee in the afternoon even as the sides remained at the table with lawyers poring over the language of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Word is circulating that a new deal is close to being finalized - down to hours now - and a deal in principle could be announced either today or Wednesday. But it also is likely that a formal news conference announcing the deal won't be held until after both sides ratify the new agreement, which is expected to take seven to 10 days.
When the deal becomes final, the NHL landscape will be vastly different.
A salary cap in the $37 million to $39 million range will force teams to spend wisely, and with the 2004-05 contracts reportedly expiring, there is a good chance rosters will have a much different look.
Will that include the Lightning? Will the players who suit up opening night be the same ones who carried the Stanley Cup around the rink more than a year ago?
That is the hope of management, which has enough money left under the cap to bring back most, if not all, of the players from the championship team.
Already gone: Defenseman Jassen Cullimore (signed with Chicago), forward Ben Clymer (not tendered a qualifying offer) and forward Cory Stillman (team walked away from arbitration award).
With only eight players under contract for 2005-06, however, the team will be left with some tough decisions.
The eight players under NHL contracts would take up about $15.1 million of cap space, leaving General Manager Jay Feaster with only $22 million to $24 million left to fill the roster.
Wanting to keep the core of the team together, look for Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis to be the primary targets. Signing both of them to long-term deals likely will be a priority. Considering the way goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin played in the postseason, it seems a slam dunk that he would return. But as an unrestricted free agent, Khabibulin, 32, will control his movement even if there is an exclusivity period for teams to negotiate with their own free agents.
If all three are re-signed, that could eat up $9 million to $10 million of the available cap space, leaving $13 million to $15 million for everybody else. That includes captain Dave Andreychuk (assuming he wants to come back for another year) and Tim Taylor, two veterans credited with pulling the team together. Then there is postseason hero Ruslan Fedotenko, who scored both goals in the Game 7 victory against Calgary; and Dan Boyle, who continues to improve.
All of a sudden, the pot begins to dwindle. Keep in mind that Tampa Bay's salary at the end of the 2003-04 season was $33 million. It is no guarantee that Feaster will be allowed to go much beyond that number, let alone climb to the limit of the cap.
The Lightning might be forced to go with younger players, such as defensemen Gerard Dicare or Mike Egener, rather than finding a veteran in the cost-prohibitive new cap era.
Bolts TBO or whatever (http://bolts.tbo.com/lightning/MGBL81RM1BE.html)
Published: Jul 12, 2005
TAMPA - Two months from what should be the start of NHL training camp, the hockey world waits.
And waits ... and waits ... for the combating sides to finally emerge from behind locked doors, signed parchment in hand declaring the end of the lockout. The two sides worked through the weekend, including well into early Monday morning, before returning to the table after breakfast Monday.
The NHL reportedly held a meeting with the Board of Governors executive committee in the afternoon even as the sides remained at the table with lawyers poring over the language of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Word is circulating that a new deal is close to being finalized - down to hours now - and a deal in principle could be announced either today or Wednesday. But it also is likely that a formal news conference announcing the deal won't be held until after both sides ratify the new agreement, which is expected to take seven to 10 days.
When the deal becomes final, the NHL landscape will be vastly different.
A salary cap in the $37 million to $39 million range will force teams to spend wisely, and with the 2004-05 contracts reportedly expiring, there is a good chance rosters will have a much different look.
Will that include the Lightning? Will the players who suit up opening night be the same ones who carried the Stanley Cup around the rink more than a year ago?
That is the hope of management, which has enough money left under the cap to bring back most, if not all, of the players from the championship team.
Already gone: Defenseman Jassen Cullimore (signed with Chicago), forward Ben Clymer (not tendered a qualifying offer) and forward Cory Stillman (team walked away from arbitration award).
With only eight players under contract for 2005-06, however, the team will be left with some tough decisions.
The eight players under NHL contracts would take up about $15.1 million of cap space, leaving General Manager Jay Feaster with only $22 million to $24 million left to fill the roster.
Wanting to keep the core of the team together, look for Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis to be the primary targets. Signing both of them to long-term deals likely will be a priority. Considering the way goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin played in the postseason, it seems a slam dunk that he would return. But as an unrestricted free agent, Khabibulin, 32, will control his movement even if there is an exclusivity period for teams to negotiate with their own free agents.
If all three are re-signed, that could eat up $9 million to $10 million of the available cap space, leaving $13 million to $15 million for everybody else. That includes captain Dave Andreychuk (assuming he wants to come back for another year) and Tim Taylor, two veterans credited with pulling the team together. Then there is postseason hero Ruslan Fedotenko, who scored both goals in the Game 7 victory against Calgary; and Dan Boyle, who continues to improve.
All of a sudden, the pot begins to dwindle. Keep in mind that Tampa Bay's salary at the end of the 2003-04 season was $33 million. It is no guarantee that Feaster will be allowed to go much beyond that number, let alone climb to the limit of the cap.
The Lightning might be forced to go with younger players, such as defensemen Gerard Dicare or Mike Egener, rather than finding a veteran in the cost-prohibitive new cap era.
Bolts TBO or whatever (http://bolts.tbo.com/lightning/MGBL81RM1BE.html)