Lightning Waive Matt Carle with Buyout in Mind

The Tampa Bay Lightning put defenseman Matt Carle on waivers today, with the intention of buying him out tomorrow.  This, combined with yesterday's news surrounding Steven Stamkos, basically sent Bolts Nation to the moon.

Why, you ask?

Because, since signing with Tampa in the summer of 2012, Carle has been a 'lightning' rod (no pun intended) for criticism.  His play has underwhelmed in a significant (read: enormously monstrous) way, especially when you compare it to the $5.5M cap hit he carries/carried:

.@MimicoHero's chart on Carle sums up why he was waived today: You can't pay $5.5M per for a depth defender. pic.twitter.com/IuSrdGFoO4

— Michael Stuart (@MikeStuartTLL) July 1, 2016

As the tweet says, you can't have a guy on your roster carrying a $5.5M cap hit who does... that.  It wasn't good enough.  No matter how you slice it, there are better ways for the Lightning to be spending that money.  It's hard to argue against Steve Yzerman's choice to end Carle's second tenure with Tampa Bay.

Stamkos Signs for Eight Years

Well that was quite a day, wasn't it?  With Taylor Hall (!!!) being traded to New Jersey for Adam Larsson and P.K. Subban (!!!) being traded to Nashville for Shea Weber, it's amazing that there was any room left on the airwaves to announce that the Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed Captain Steven Stamkos to an eight-year contract worth an average of $8.5-million per season:

Stamkos's deal with TB is expected to come in at eight years, with an AAV of $8.5M.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 29, 2016

With the hockey world (yours truly included) practically certain that Stamkos was set to walk when the clock struck July 1st, the captain surprised everyone by signing a very, very, very affordable deal with Tampa Bay.  Remember all that talk about him getting $10-million, $11-million, or even $12-million per year on the open market?  Somehow the Bolts locked him up for an amount that can only be described as a discount.

Edmonton's Nail Yakupov is the Right Fit at the Right Price for Tampa Bay

One of the bigger storylines to come out of this year's draft weekend was all the fuss surrounding the Edmonton Oilers.  It seemed that any time a rumor was brought up, the Oilers found themselves right in the middle of it.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?  On his way out.  Taylor Hall?  We'll miss you.  Jordan Eberle?  You can kiss him goodbye.  Leon Draisaitl?  He'll look great in a Montreal jersey.  Aside from Connor McDavid, almost every Oiler of note had his name thrown around the rumor mill in one form or another.

Of course, with all those big names spamming the headlines, some of the smaller-ticket items found themselves slightly off the radar; that included Nail Yakupov, who reportedly was available for... basically nothing:

"We're talking a 3rd round pick at this point (for Yakupov). Maybe a late 2nd." - Rishaug

— Tyler (@akaRCN) June 23, 2016

While the draft is now over and those picks have been made, the Nail Yakupov sweepstakes are likely ongoing.  With the addition of Jesse Puljujarvi at the draft, the Oilers once again find themselves with a bevy of forward talent and a dearth of wealth on the blue line heading into the offseason.  Something has got to give, right?  It seems that Yakupov, in desperate need of a fresh start, could be one of the players who is shipped out of Alberta's capital region.  If he is indeed available, the Tampa Bay Lightning should absolutely be giving Peter Chiarelli a call.