Update: Yzerman under pressure to make a deal

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman has been on the hot seat all offseason. After failing to make the playoffs despite being a Stanley Cup favorite at the beginning of the season, the general manager has been forced to make some difficult roster decisions this offseason as a result of the NHL’s upper salary cap limit. So far, he’s had to part ways with veteran goaltender Ben Bishop and emerging talent Jonathan Drouin. Now, his focus is set on striking new deals with two of his core players: Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. And, in fact, things just got more interesting in negotiations for the pair, as dates have been set for arbitration hearings in each case later in the month.

Johnson will have his case for a salary raise heard on July 20th, while Palat will have his hearing on July 25th. This doesn’t give Yzerman much time left to strike a deal before the clock runs out and he’s left to take or leave a judge’s ruling. Yzerman is a notoriously tough negotiator and has the patience of an oak tree, so it will be interesting to see how negotiations between the two sides progress now that a deadline has been set.

One thing is clear, both Johnson and Palat will receive raises on the three-year, $10 million contracts they signed in 2014. But how much and for how long remains to be seen.