The Tampa Bay Lightning face another off-season with not a lot of cap space. There's speculation that they might not be able to re-sign forward Alex Killorn.
Maintaining a Stanley Cup contender under a flattened salary cap has been a challenge for the Tampa Bay Lightning. It led to the recent departures of notable players such as Ondrej Palat, Ryan McDonagh, Yanni Gourde, Tyler Johnson, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow via trades, free agency and the 2021 expansion draft.
Alex Killorn could be the next to leave as a UFA. The 33-year-old winger has spent his 11-season NHL career with the Lightning. A versatile two-way forward, he played a key role in the club's rise to perennial Cup contender status, helping them win two championships in 2020 and 2021.
CapFriendly indicates Killorn is completing his seven-year contract with an average annual value of $4.45 million. TSN's Pierre LeBrun believes the Lightning will have a difficult time retaining him.
Killorn's reached the 25-goal plateau for the second straight season along with a career-best 61 points. Those stats will make him enticing for contenders seeking experienced two-way skill and leadership via this summer's free-agent market.
The Lightning only have $2.4 million in projected cap space for 2023-24 with 15 roster regulars under contract. They'll get $6.875 million in cap relief if needed with permanently sidelined Brent Seabrook on long-term injury reserve. However, they must re-sign or replace UFA backup goaltender Brian Elliott. Meanwhile, forwards Tanner Jeannot and Ross Colton are RFAs with arbitration rights.
Maybe Killorn is open to accepting a hometown discount to stick with the Lightning for another couple of years. However, LeBrun believes he'll be heading into the free-agent market like Palat did last summer.