Report: Core Lightning players put the pressure on Yzerman

Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat have both filed for salary arbitration, putting the team and its general manager Steve Yzerman in a bit of a time crunch. While dates for the hearings for the two star forwards have yet to be announced, the latest that they’ll face a judge will be August 2nd.

If Yzerman hopes to avoid arguing his case in front of a judge, he’ll have less than a month’s time to hammer out difficult negotiations for both Johnson and Palat. With just over $13 million in cap space to sign both forwards, money shouldn’t be an issue now that forward Jonathan Drouin has been sent packing to Montreal. 

Of course, term could be an issue for both Johnson and Palat. Both players are coming off of three-year, $10 million contracts and witnessed linemate Nikita Kucherov sign a three-year “bridge” contract with an annual cap hit of $4.76 million just last offseason. Kucherov, who is now an elite NHL talent, stands to cash in BIG TIME when his agreement expires in 2019. 

Might Yzerman seek to go long-term with Johnson and Palat to avoid a potential overpayment like he’s facing with Kucherov down the road? Or, is he content to go the “show me” route again? Time will tell. But again, time is also running out.