Now that the Tampa Bay Lightning have won their second consecutive Stanley Cup, it's time to get rid of the 18 million excess on the payroll in order to be ready for the next season. General manager Julien BriseBois has already parted with two important pieces of his offense in Barclay Goodrow (traded to the Rangers for a seventh round pick) and Yanni Gourde (selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft).
With that in mind, tipster Pierre LeBrun says that BriseBois is reportedly canvassing interest from other NHL teams for center Tyler Johnson, who will be paid $5 million per season for three more years. With a no-movement clause in his contract, Johnson has reportedly given his GM a list of 22 teams to whom he would be willing to be traded.
Remember that the Lightning had already tried to separate themselves from Johnson before the beginning of last season, but despite some rumors sending him to the Detroit Red Wings, nothing had materialized.
Johnson has been playing a lesser role with the Lightning in recent years. The 30-year-old forward played the majority of the 2020-21 season on the third or fourth line of his team's lineup, but still managed 22 points, including eight goals, in 55 regular season games. He also added four goals and seven points in 23 games during the Lightning's playoff run.
Finally, according to LeBrun, BriseBois has also informed his counterparts that the negotiating rights of forward Blake Coleman and defenseman David Savard (who will both become unrestricted free agents on July 28) will be up for grabs in the next few days. The Quebecer is trying to get an adequate return for two players who will become free agents in five days.
