Confirmed with Link: Lightning re-sign Victor Hedman | 4 years, $8M AAV

[ThunderRoad]

No discount for the team like captain cups i see.


Stamkos did it for the last game versus Florida, but that wasn't there all season. We still need a goal scorer.

I get that but we weren't going to pay him the same AAV that his current contract was at, and by everything from Stamkos, which he's always been pretty honest by all accounts, he understood that and wasn't asking for that from Tampa.

And for the whole season thing, I will keep coming back to the brain child of Cooper or Blashill or a combination thereof, that changed the system this year, away from the one that achieved the Cup runs. Look across the board at every guy on the team, and it didn't work, except for Kucherov.

Was Stamkos a liability in this new system - apparently, but then so were just about everyone else. Maybe the players were finally getting comfortable with it by the end of the year, or the coaching staff did make adjustments or plan to, but singling out Stamkos is pretty disingenuous.

Of course we couldn't sign him to $8M for 4 years, and unlike Hedman, he isn't as critical (since beyond Hedman and now McDonagh, it's a cliff), but that was never the ask from Stamkos' camp - I will definitely buy he was willing to see his salary reduced to stay.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

This one is kind of risky. ...although I guess the team has no chance once he's no long a #1, so whatever.

Even bad Heddy is still top 4 quality, not too worried.

 

[Stammertime91]

Good contract, team is his now. Imagine they give him the captaincy for opening night.

 

[AHockeyFanatic]

Good contract!

 

[OurlordAndSaviorKuch]

Finally get some news that isn’t breaking our hearts.

At least we get to have one bolt for life.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

 

[DFC]

Even bad Heddy is still top 4 quality, not too worried.

Right. I mean, the end of this deal is 5 years out. I just mean, I don't see a possibility that we can contend after he declines, so the term barely matters. The money is great because he's taking a significantly smaller percentage of cap space, and about the same dollars.

 

[DMB06]

Love it, I wouldn't have been upset if it was even a bit more considering how underpaid he has been under his current deal. The 8x4 seems very intentional.

 

[DaBolts]

Good contract, team is his now. Imagine they give him the captaincy for opening night.

Have to. He's earned it.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Have to. He's earned it.

But it’s cursed! Vinny, MSL, Stammer…

 

[Antiramie]

This one is kind of risky. ...although I guess the team has no chance once he's no long a #1, so whatever.

Yea I think it's an overpay, but our defense is absolutely shit without him in the lineup and we keep some continuity, and with Stammer leaving it was a necessity to lock up another core player who will likely be the next captain.

 

[J T Money]

Hedman had all the leverage on this one. Definitely not a discount by any means, but what choice did they have but meet his demands? 8mil is steep, but if he walked, the team would be trash.

 

[AHockeyFanatic]

He can still be upset, but yeah, deciding to change your whole future by going somewhere else wasn't going to happen either.

It can still cause a rift between the locker room and management. It still takes a voice out of the locker room that was crucial to getting the team to commit to work ethic and sacrificing the body, and doing whatever have to to get the win.

Victor is one of those guys too but the more of those voices you have the better. It of course is never one guy but the % is going down, by how much I don't know. It seemed there were some feelings that certain individuals, probably new faces to the team, that weren't getting the message of how things are done in Tampa, by the end of the year.

And to hell with the new system we tried this past year - what's the feedback loop on that? The team defense as a whole took a nosedive, and that somehow doesn't equate to those changes? Is McDonagh coming back to the system they had that worked or this new structure? Is the coaching staff going to make adjustments after seeing the actual results on the ice, or push that this structure can and will work.

Vasilevskiy should be able to help bail out defensive struggles unlike last season, unless he's had some permanent changes to his mobility from his back injury.

I feel like the clarity of his contract offer dampened the strong words from Stamkos about his departure which were upsetting (as a fan) at first glance.

Seems like it was just business, can’t sign everyone. The key here is Stamkos was offered a contract and he chose not to take it. You can be sour grapes about what happened but it was his decision.

This changes the narrative drastically for me. Maybe it was just an ego thing from both of them. Also this kinda move just seems like the Tampa way lol.

Can’t wait for the Kucherov/Point ending… oh boy. /s

 

[T REX]

Welcome back Captain.

Interesting times.

 

[AHockeyFanatic]

Didnt see this posted.

Liked Hedmans response.

Victor Hedman | Press Conference 7.2.24

Defenseman Victor Hedman speaks to the media after signing a four-year contract extension with the Lightning. Watch and stream Lightning games and more behin...

www.youtube.com

 

[OurlordAndSaviorKuch]

Didnt see this posted.

Liked Hedmans response.

Victor Hedman | Press Conference 7.2.24

Defenseman Victor Hedman speaks to the media after signing a four-year contract extension with the Lightning. Watch and stream Lightning games and more behin...

www.youtube.com

Opening was kinda rough.