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
| Forwards | Terms | POS | Age | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kucherov, Nikita "A" | M-NTC | RW | 31 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | UFA | ||
| Point, Brayden | NMC | C, RW | 28 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 |
| Guentzel, Jake | NMC | LW, C | 30 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 |
| Hagel, Brandon | LW, RW | 26 | $6,500,000 | $6,500,000 | $6,500,000 | $6,500,000 | $6,500,000 | $6,500,000 | |
| Cirelli, Anthony | C, RW | 27 | $6,250,000 | $6,250,000 | $6,250,000 | $6,250,000 | $6,250,000 | $6,250,000 | |
| Paul, Nicholas | NTC | C, LW | 29 | $3,150,000 | $3,150,000 | $3,150,000 | $3,150,000 | $3,150,000 | UFA |
| Atkinson, Cam | RW, LW | 35 | $900,000 | UFA | |||||
| Geekie, Conor | ELC | C | 20 | $886,667 | $886,667 | $886,667 | RFA | ||
| Girgensons, Zemgus | M-NTC | LW, C | 30 | $850,000 | $850,000 | $850,000 | UFA | ||
| Eyssimont, Michael | RW, LW, C | 28 | $800,000 | UFA | |||||
| Glendening, Luke | C | 35 | $800,000 | UFA | |||||
| Chaffee, Mitchell | RW | 26 | $800,000 | $800,000 | UFA | ||||
| Goncalves, Gage | RW, C | 23 | $775,000 | RFA | |||||
| TOTAL | 28.3 | $49,711,667 | $46,436,667 | $45,636,667 | $34,400,000 | $34,400,000 | $31,250,000 | ||
| defense | Terms | POS | Age | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 |
| Hedman, Victor "C" | M-NTC | LD | 34 | $7,875,000 | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | UFA |
| McDonagh, Ryan "A" | NTC | LD, RD | 35 | $6,750,000 | $6,750,000 | UFA | |||
| Cernak, Erik | NTC | RD, LD | 27 | $5,200,000 | $5,200,000 | $5,200,000 | $5,200,000 | $5,200,000 | $5,200,000 |
| Moser, J.J. | LD, RD | 24 | $3,375,000 | $3,375,000 | RFA | ||||
| Perbix, Nick | RD | 26 | $1,125,000 | UFA | |||||
| Raddysh, Darren | RD, LD | 28 | $975,000 | $975,000 | UFA | ||||
| Lilleberg, Emil | ELC | LD, RD | 23 | $870,000 | $800,000 | $800,000 | RFA | ||
| TOTAL | 28.1 | $26,170,000 | $25,100,000 | $14,000,000 | $13,200,000 | $13,200,000 | $5,200,000 | ||
| goalies | Terms | POS | Age | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 |
| Vasilevskiy, Andrei | NMC | G | 30 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | UFA | |
| Johansson, Jonas | G | 29 | $775,000 | UFA | |||||
| TOTAL | 29.5 | $10,275,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | $0 | $0 | ||
| dead cap | |||||||||
| buyout history (1 - $0) | Terms | POS | Age | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 |
| Lecavalier, Vincent | C | 44 | UFA | ||||||
| TOTAL | 44 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
| buried penalty (1 - $850,000) | Terms | POS | Age | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | 2029-30 |
| Sheary, Conor | M-NTC | LW, C, RW | 32 | $850,000 | $850,000 | UFA | |||
| TOTAL | 32 | $850,000 | $850,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
[…] 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 […]