Put down the tissues and pull yourself together, the crying is over, you're going to want to see this.
Two weeks after the saddest breakup in franchise history, the Lightning are a different team: less lovable but perhaps more formidable, less recognizable but more intelligent.
Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev are gone, and curiosity and anticipation are back. It's sad when a front office decides a new direction is needed, but it's also necessary when a team has been going in circles for so long.
If the Lightning made a mistake, it was not acting sooner.
Let's be honest: this team wasn't very good in 2023-24. Their defense was weak, their offense was shoddy, and while the Lightning were better than anyone on the power play, they were the worst team in the league in basic 5-on-5 situations.
That's why Stamkos was offered less money than he expected, that's why Ryan McDonagh is back to help the defense, that's why we have a team where nearly one in three players needs an introduction.
Here's the basic description of the Lightning facelift:
At 5-on-5, the Lightning were 25th in the NHL in points differential per 60 minutes. They were outscored 190-172 at 5-on-5, which is not the performance you would expect from a playoff team and certainly not close to what is needed for a Stanley Cup contender.
That part was obvious, the question was figuring out how to fix it.
It's hard to explain this without making Stamkos seem like a scapegoat, but there's no ignoring the reality: His contract was expiring and he had just come off his least productive season yet, despite scoring 40 goals.
Analytics-based website Evolving Hockey calculates a player's expected points/goals allowed stats in five-on-five situations based on factors such as puck possession, number of shots taken and shot quality. Four years ago, Stamkos' expected points was plus-0.45. Three years ago, it was plus-0.30. Two years ago, it dropped to plus-0.04 and last year it was minus-0.33 — clear warning signs that a player approaching his mid-30s is beginning to decline.
While 40 goals is impressive, nearly half of them (19) came on the power play. Also surprising was the number of goals scored against the Lightning when Stamkos was on the ice. At even strength play, Stamkos had a minus-21 rating, the worst of his 16-year career.
So the decision was made to offer Stamkos a contract befitting a veteran who excels on special teams but plays a smaller role in even-strength situations.
Instead, the Lightning went after Jake Guenzel, whose expected goals against average was minus-0.11 four years ago, according to Eboring Hockey stats. Over the next two seasons, he improved to plus-0.46 and plus-0.43, before jumping to plus-1.01 last year. While Stamkos, 34, is declining, Guenzel, 29, is in the prime of his career, which is why he was one of the most sought-after free agents on the market.
To free up salary cap space for Guenzel, the Lightning opted to trade Sergachev to Utah. The 26-year-old Sergachev has a great future ahead of him, but his best ability as a defenseman was his ability to get the puck up the ice and run the power play. With McDonagh and likely J.J. Moser, who was traded from Utah, there will be more emphasis on preventing goals than pushing the puck.
The Lightning have also revamped their role player roster, with Tanner Jannot, Tyler Motte, Calvin de Haan and loanees Matthew Dumba and Anthony Duclair all departing in favor of young players like Cam Atkinson, Girgenson Zemgas, Jesse Ylonen and Emil Lilleberg who should see increased playing time.
Essentially, each move was made to make the Lightning more formidable in 5-on-5 situations. This transformation is somewhat similar to what the Lightning went through in 2019-20 as they evolved from a high-scoring circus into a defense-first team. Whereas then it was a change in mindset and strategy (including the trade deadline acquisitions of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow), this time it's a reprioritization of assets.
So are the Lightning a better team now? I think so.
General manager Julien Brisbois didn't do a complete dismantling, but he recognized the Lightning were trending in the wrong direction. It was painful and a bit risky, but it was necessary for a team that still had Stanley Cup ambitions.
Griffins acquire defenseman Redekop
The Grand Rapids Griffins have signed defenseman Chaz Redekopp to a one-year, two-way contract for the upcoming 2024-25 American Hockey League season.
Redekopp, who was drafted 187th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2015, posted career highs in games played (67), goals (5), points (15) and penalty minutes (194) last season with the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL).
Redekopp, 27, also ranked second in the ECHL with 194 penalty minutes.
Playing with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) in 2022-23, Redekopp recorded a career-high 13 assists in 51 games to go with 14 points (1-13-14), 109 penalty minutes and a plus-12 rating.
The 6-foot-3 defenseman spent the majority of his career in the ECHL from 2018-2024, appearing in 172 games and totaling 46 points (8-38-46), 340 penalty minutes and a plus-six rating.
Prior to turning professional, Redekopp played six seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Victoria Royals.
From 2012-2018, he appeared in 280 regular season games, collecting 134 points (27-107, 134), 293 penalty minutes and a plus-58 rating.
The Hurricanes placed Kuznetsov on waivers.
The Carolina Hurricanes placed Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers on Wednesday to release him from his contract, bringing an abrupt end to the talented but shaky center's turbulent NHL career.
Kuznetsov is owed $6 million of his $8 million salary in the final season of a seven-year, $64.2 million contract he signed in 2017. He will forfeit that payment and receive a $2 million bonus paid out earlier this month.
“Ultimately, both parties agreed that this was what was best for the player and our team,” general manager Eric Tarski said. “We appreciate his time with the team and wish Evgeny and his family the best.”
There were reports earlier this week that Kuznetsov was planning to get out of his contract and return to Russia to play for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. For that move to happen now, Kuznetsov and his camp would have to agree to such a move, unless the Hurricanes wait for one of his restricted free agent arbitration cases to be resolved and a buyout window opens up later this summer.
Kuznetsov's attorney, Craig Oster, did not respond to messages Wednesday afternoon seeking comment on the two sides' terminations or his client's future.
While Martin Necas' arbitration hearing is still scheduled, Carolina re-signed forward Jack Drury to a two-year, $3.45 million contract late Wednesday and also must work out a deal with fellow forward Seth Jarvis, using about $13 million in salary-cap space.
“Jack made great strides last season in solidifying himself as a key member of our forward corps,” Coach Talski said in announcing Drury's signing. “He's an extremely hard worker on both ends of the ice and a player you can rely on in any situation. We look forward to watching him continue to develop in Carolina.”
