Tampa fans here need a dose of reality
Too many Tampa fans taking into account future deals for Johnson, Palat, Drouin, Kucherov. You can't afford to take on the retention on a goalie for two years because you have to dole out three new contracts next summer? What you need is a cold dose of reality.
I am a firm believer in Stevie Y -- I think he's the best GM in the league right now by several strides -- but this isn't the early 2000's. Jesus Christ himself couldn't keep all of the players that Lightning fans believe they will retain. That's the point of a salary cap. Look at the perennial cup contenders. Chicago has three foundation-level players: Toews, Kane, Keith. A good portion of their fans believed there's no chance a guy like Sharp gets moved, even as the franchise was forced to move on from other valuable players year after year. Pittsburgh has three core players: Malkin, Letang, Crosby. They lost Neal, Jordan Staal, etc, because they had no choice. LA has three core pieces -- Kopitar, Doughty, Quick.
Tampa has committed to two foundation pieces so far -- Stamkos and Hedman. Stevie Y isn't deluding himself into thinking he can retain all of the players that fans name. He knows he can pick one more, or maybe two, if he can manage to unload Callahan and Filppula.
They haven't signed Kucherov yet because they haven't decided who that third and final core player needs to be. If Vas falls flat -- which I think is a very long shot, in the minds of TB management -- then maybe it is BISHOP himself who needs to be that third piece. If not, who do they pick out of Kucherov, Johnson, and Palat?
There is almost NO feasible scenario where TB will need to offer new contracts to all four of those players (the triplets and Drouin) before 2017-2018. Stevie Y must understand that, and once he establishes his core players, the other players become movable assets. If Yzerman needs to move a Palat, Kucherov, or Johnson, and take back some salary in return to build a better OVERALL team that is going to be competitive for more than just ONE upcoming season, he will do it.