Tampa Bay Lightning Salary Cap Breakdown | Current Cap Space

The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the most consistently successful franchises in the NHL. Their on-ice dominance extends beyond the regular season and into the playoffs, with two recent Stanley Cup titles. Understanding the Tampa Bay Lightning salary cap is key to figuring out how they manage to create such a successful roster year after year.

Lightning Cap Space & Key Contracts

The salary cap is a hard ceiling in the NHL, dictating the maximum amount a team can spend on player contracts in a given season. The Tampa Bay Lightning often find themselves tight against the cap, which requires strategic salary maneuvering and creative use of long-term injured reserve (LTIR).

Some of the largest contracts currently on the Lightning payroll include:

  • Nikita Kucherov: $9.5 million Average Annual Value (AAV)
  • Steven Stamkos: $8.5 million AAV
  • Brayden Point: $9.5 million AAV
  • Andrei Vasilevskiy: $9.5 million AAV

How the Lightning Create Cap Flexibility

The Tampa Bay Lightning have become masters of cap manipulation, often finding ways to remain competitive despite limited cap space. Some of their common strategies include:

  • LTIR: Players with significant injuries can be placed on LTIR, freeing up cap space to sign replacements.
  • Trading Draft Picks and Prospects: The Lightning trade away future assets to acquire established players with manageable cap hits
  • Internal Development: Tampa Bay excels at drafting and developing young players on cost-controlled entry-level contracts.

CapFriendly Tampa Bay Lightning

Resources like CapFriendly are invaluable tools for fans wanting a detailed view of the Tampa Bay Lightning salaries. These websites provide up-to-date information on individual contracts, cap breakdowns, and future projections.

Staying Updated with the Tampa Bay Lightning

Keep up with everything Tampa Bay Lightning on our website! We cover all the latest news on the Tampa Bay Lightning salary cap, potential trades, and any updates on player salaries. You’ll also find the most up-to-date Tampa Bay Lightning TV schedule to make sure you never miss a game.

Tampa Bay Lightning Salary Cap | Lightning Cap Space

ForwardsTermsPOSAge2024-252025-262026-272027-282028-292029-30
Kucherov, Nikita "A"M-NTCRW31$9,500,000$9,500,000$9,500,000UFA
Point, BraydenNMCC, RW28$9,500,000$9,500,000$9,500,000$9,500,000$9,500,000$9,500,000
Guentzel, JakeNMCLW, C30$9,000,000$9,000,000$9,000,000$9,000,000$9,000,000$9,000,000
Hagel, BrandonLW, RW26$6,500,000$6,500,000$6,500,000$6,500,000$6,500,000$6,500,000
Cirelli, AnthonyC, RW27$6,250,000$6,250,000$6,250,000$6,250,000$6,250,000$6,250,000
Paul, NicholasNTCC, LW29$3,150,000$3,150,000$3,150,000$3,150,000$3,150,000UFA
Atkinson, CamRW, LW35$900,000UFA
Geekie, ConorELCC20$886,667$886,667$886,667RFA
Girgensons, ZemgusM-NTCLW, C30$850,000$850,000$850,000UFA
Eyssimont, MichaelRW, LW, C28$800,000UFA
Glendening, LukeC35$800,000UFA
Chaffee, MitchellRW26$800,000$800,000UFA
Goncalves, GageRW, C23$775,000RFA
TOTAL28.3$49,711,667$46,436,667$45,636,667$34,400,000$34,400,000$31,250,000
defenseTermsPOSAge2024-252025-262026-272027-282028-292029-30
Hedman, Victor "C"M-NTCLD34$7,875,000$8,000,000$8,000,000$8,000,000$8,000,000UFA
McDonagh, Ryan "A"NTCLD, RD35$6,750,000$6,750,000UFA
Cernak, ErikNTCRD, LD27$5,200,000$5,200,000$5,200,000$5,200,000$5,200,000$5,200,000
Moser, J.J.LD, RD24$3,375,000$3,375,000RFA
Perbix, NickRD26$1,125,000UFA
Raddysh, DarrenRD, LD28$975,000$975,000UFA
Lilleberg, EmilELCLD, RD23$870,000$800,000$800,000RFA
TOTAL28.1$26,170,000$25,100,000$14,000,000$13,200,000$13,200,000$5,200,000
goaliesTermsPOSAge2024-252025-262026-272027-282028-292029-30
Vasilevskiy, AndreiNMCG30$9,500,000$9,500,000$9,500,000$9,500,000UFA
Johansson, JonasG29$775,000UFA
TOTAL29.5$10,275,000$9,500,000$9,500,000$9,500,000$0$0
dead cap
buyout history (1 - $0)TermsPOSAge2024-252025-262026-272027-282028-292029-30
Lecavalier, VincentC44UFA
TOTAL44$0$0$0$0$0$0
buried penalty (1 - $850,000)TermsPOSAge2024-252025-262026-272027-282028-292029-30
Sheary, ConorM-NTCLW, C, RW32$850,000$850,000UFA
TOTAL32$850,000$850,000$0$0$0$0

1 COMMENT

  1. […] by signing restricted free agent Jonathan Drouin to an offer sheet this summer. Pedneault cites the Lightning’s salary-cap issues this summer as a reason why they could be vulnerable to an offer sheet. If Bergevin were to […]

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