Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman did it again.
After filing for salary arbitration, Tyler Johnson instead struck a long-term deal with the Bolts, and it’s at what could go down as a bargain price. Johnson was inked to a seven-year, $35 million contract on Monday, good for a $5 million cap hit.
The team confirmed those terms, while Johnson celebrated the signing on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWYl4v2jHT4
Perhaps the only concern here is if Johnson cannot approach his best work.
He scored 50 points in 2013-14 and then exploded for 72 during the Lightning’s breakout 2014-15 campaign, also starring as they gave the Chicago Blackhawks a good fight in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final.
Since then, he’s struggled with injuries and inconsistency, being held to under 20 goals in each of 2015-16 (38 points in 69 games) and 2016-17 (45 points in 66 games).
Still, even in a tough overall 2015-16 campaign, Johnson managed 17 points in as many playoff games, hinting that he may still be able to approach his production from 2014-15.
With a palatable $5 million cap hit and some prime years left at 26, it’s a pretty nice deal for both sides. Not bad for a smaller forward who didn’t even get drafted.
The Lightning must continue to conjure cap magic, however, as Ondrej Palat still faces a possible arbitration hearing. The Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith notes that the hearing is scheduled for July 25, so there’s time for Yzerman to reach a deal with him, too.
On the bright side, there’s some room to work with.
With Tyler Johnson signed at $5M for 7 years, the #Lightning currently have $8.688M in projected cap space with a roster of 21 (13F 6D 2G) pic.twitter.com/c2hCixrf4A
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 10, 2017