Forward Vladislav Namestnikov is headed to the San Jose Sharks, with Michael Eyssimont going to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois is up to something.
Three days after trading five draft picks for forward Tanner Jeannot, the Lightning traded forward Vladislav Namestnikov to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Michael Eyssimont.
Tampa Bay will retain 50 percent of Namestikov’s $2.5 million cap hit.
Namestnikov, 30, has recorded six goals and 15 points in 57 games with the Bolts this season. Originally a first-round pick by the club in 2011, the Russian forward was in the midst of his second stint with Tampa Bay after signing a one-year pact this past summer. Namestnikov was primarily used in the Lightning’s bottom six this season.
Eyssimont, 26, has tallied 13 points in 39 games split between the Sharks and the Winnipeg Jets. Since being claimed off waivers by San Jose in early January, the six-foot left wing has shined in a top-six role for San Jose, carving out a role on a line alongside Logan Couture and Alexander Barabanov. Eyssimont is in the final year of a two-year contract worth $750,000 annually.
The move frees up $500,000 in cap space for Tampa Bay. It gives the Lightning some leeway to make more additions ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline. CapFriendly indicates the club now has $1.3 million of LTIR cap space. Lightning writer Erik Erlendsson suggested that Tampa Bay is looking to add a defenseman, mentioning Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmunson as a possible target.
San Jose, on the other hand, injects a veteran of 600-plus games into their lineup — if they keep him. The Sharks could very well flip Namestiknov in a different deal.