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Montreal Canadiens: Three Teams That Are Very Vulnerable to a Habs Offer Sheet

By Ken MacMillan

TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 03: Mathew Barzal (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 03: Mathew Barzal (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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EDMONTON, ALBERTA – SEPTEMBER 19: Erik Cernak #81 and Mikhail Sergachev (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA – SEPTEMBER 19: Erik Cernak #81 and Mikhail Sergachev (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the envy of the league a couple weeks ago as they marched to a Stanley Cup victory. Now, they are envious of everyone else’s salary cap situation. I’m sure they are okay with how things played out and wouldn’t trade their Stanley Cup for some extra cap space, but they definitely have some difficult decisions to make, like, today.

Right now, the Lightning are showing $4.6 million in cap space. They also need to re-sign RFAs Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev and Eric Cernak. They are about to lose Kevin Shattenkirk, Luke Schenn, Zach Bogosian and Jan Rutta to free agency. They weren’t the key pieces in the Cup run, but they are all right defencemen, so the Bolts will have to rebuild the position. With no money.

The Lightning are rumoured to be looking to move Tyler Johnson and his $5 million cap hit. Even if they do, that gives them less than $10 million which is not going to be enough to re-sign Cirelli and Sergachev, let alone Cernak as well.

The Habs could consider a big offer sheet to Sergachev. It would be really difficult for the Bolts to match. If Montreal signs Sergachev to a five-year offer sheet with a cap hit of $6 million, it would be hard for the Lightning to find the cap space to keep the player. This would cost the Habs a first and a third round pick next year.

Or, the Canadiens could be a little less risky. If they don’t want to lose a future first round pick, they could sign Eric Cernak to a three-year contract at $3 million per year. It would only cost the Habs a second round pick, and the Lightning would have to think long and hard about spending that much money on Cernak when they need to re-sign bigger fish like Cirelli and Sergachev.

Cernak is a huge right defenceman who played top four minutes for the Lightning on their way to a Stanley Cup. The Lightning probably match, but that would make it tough to bring everyone else back. Maybe they just take the second round pick, and lose their 6’3″ and 233 pound defender who is just 23 years old.

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