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Mikhail Sergachev

Sergachev, Cirelli, Cernak Sign Eight-Year Extensions In Tampa

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Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is staying in Tampa for nine more years. He’s signed an eight-year extension which will kick in for the 2023-24 season, per his agent Dan Milstein. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the cap hit is $8.5MM.

That’s not it. Anthony Cirelli has also signed an eight-year extension with the team, this time worth $6.25MM per season according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The semi-retired insider didn’t stop there. Erik Cernak has also inked an eight-year extension. His will be worth $5.2MM per season.

The team has now confirmed all three deals.

Sergachev was the first extension, and it’s a massive one. The Russian defender made an immediate impact after his trade from the Montreal Canadiens, authoring an impressive 40-point rookie year. Since then, Sergachev has been an important all-around defenseman for the Lightning during their Stanley Cup runs and is now being rewarded for it. Sergachev scored 7 goals and 38 points this season and has scored around that rate for most of his NHL career. Sergachev played 22:28 minutes per night last season and saw time on both the Lightning’s power play and penalty kill.

At max term and an $8.5MM AAV, the Lightning are banking on additional improvements from Sergachev. Sergachev is a great player right now, but $8.5MM is the sort of price tag typically assigned to lineup-anchoring number-one defensemen. Sergachev is now making more than his Norris Trophy-winning teammate, Victor Hedman, and only $500K less than the reigning Norris Trophy winner, Cale Makar. The Lightning are paying Sergachev like a number-one defenseman, and now it’s up to him to back up their faith with his play on the ice.

The second extension announced was one for Cirelli. Cirelli, who is just about to turn 25, is among the top defensive players in all of hockey. He has two top-five Selke Trophy finishes on his resume and helps the Lightning kill penalties. He’s also an important secondary scorer, with 17 goals and 43 points. Another top-of-the-line defensive center, Phillip Danault, was signed last season on a long-term deal with a $5.5MM AAV. Cirelli’s deal is in the same range as that contract.

Finally, we have the extension for Cernak. Cernak came to Tampa Bay as part of a heist of a trade, getting him from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Ben Bishop, who played only seven games in Los Angeles. Cernak has been a stay-at-home, physical top-four defenseman for the Lightning, a player who has admirably handled every challenge thrown to him by coach Jon Cooper. Cernak averaged 2:48 time on ice short-handed last season and was successful in that crease-clearing role. There’s not much offense to Cernak’s game, but the Lightning are very familiar with him and have ensured that so far highly successful marriage is extended.

On the back of all this positive news, BriseBois also announced some unfortunate as well. Joe Smith of The Athletic tweets that Cirelli and defenseman Zach Bogosian underwent shoulder surgery and will be out for the next four to six months, missing the start of the year.

Mikhail Sergachev Changes Agents

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The Tampa Bay Lightning cleared out cap space moving forward by selling off Ryan McDonagh, and now one of the biggest options on their to-do list is signing Mikhail Sergachev to a long-term extension. Heading into the final year of his current deal, the 24-year-old will be eligible to sign an extension this summer and will now be doing it with new representation.

Sergachev has joined Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Colleague Chris Johnston notes that the young defenseman is likely to sign an extension in the coming weeks.

While an agent change can sometimes bring a worry to a front office, the Lightning group is quite familiar with Milstein. He also represents Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy, two players that Tampa Bay had no trouble locking up. In fact, some might say that both Russian superstars gave the Lightning a discount of sorts–something that is a bit offset by the lack of state income tax–when they signed their current contracts, both for $9.5MM per season.

Kucherov signed an eight-year, $76MM contract just a few days after he became eligible in 2018, and Vasilevskiy took just a few weeks before signing an identical one (at least in years and total dollars) the following summer.

With McDonagh now in Nashville, there will be even more responsibility heaped on Sergachev (and fellow extension candidate Erik Cernak) in the coming years. Coming off a three-year bridge deal that carried a cap hit of $4.8MM, the young defenseman has a huge amount of leverage in any negotiation, and should see a monster number on his next deal. Not only does he sit 27th in scoring among all defensemen since he entered the league–ahead of names like Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Darnell Nurse–but his current contract is set to pay out $7.2MM this season. That means a matching qualifying offer would be necessary just to keep him in 2023-24, a season which would also be his last before unrestricted free agency.

It would be difficult to create better conditions for a massive long-term extension, another reason why the team needed to clear money off the back end this summer.

Lightning Place Five In COVID Protocol

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The COVID test results are in for the Lightning and the end result is that they’ll be missing several players for the next little while.  Bryan Burns of Tampa Bay’s team website relays (Twitter link) that goaltenders Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brian Elliott, center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, and assistant coach Rob Zettler have all been placed in COVID protocol.

As is the case with anyone who enters COVID protocol, they will all miss at least the next ten days.

Vasilevskiy is certainly a notable loss for Tampa Bay as he is off to another fine start to his season with a 2.14 GAA along with a .928 SV% in 24 starts.  Not having Elliott available either means that two of their AHL netminders – Maxime Lagace, Hugo Alnefelt, and Amir Miftakhov – will need to be brought up and only Lagace has limited NHL experience.

As for Sergachev, his output is quite similar to his pace from last season as he has two goals and a dozen assists in 30 games while averaging 21:57 per game, the third-highest ATOI on the Lightning.  Unless Erik Cernak is ready to return from his injury, they’ll need to recall someone from AHL Syracuse to cover his spot as well.  Bellemare is in his first season with Tampa Bay after coming over from Colorado and has chipped in with three goals and four assists in what has basically been a checking role.

As things stand, Tampa Bay is set to return to action on Tuesday against Montreal.

Mikhail Sergachev Suspended Two Games

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The Department of Player Safety has announced a two-game suspension for Tampa Bay Lightning Mikhail Sergachev following his hit on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner last night. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that Marner’s head is the main point of contact on this hit. Sergachev’s shoulder and back make substantial contact with Marner’s jaw, as the head takes the brunt of the force of the check. It is also important to note that the head contact on this play is avoidable. While Marner is bent slightly and being slowed by the hook, he does not change the position of his head or body just prior to, or simultaneous with the check, in a way that significantly contributes to the head being the main point of contact.

If he wants to deliver this hit, Sergachev must stay low and take an angle of approach that hits through Marner’s shoulder and core, rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact. 

The league admitted that though Sergachev has been fined in the past, they deemed him to have no relevant history. The Tampa Bay defenseman’s fine was for a dangerous cross-check in 2019. Marner also did not suffer a serious injury on the play and did not even leave the game. Marner explained after the game that Sergachev apologized to him in the second period.

Coming off the overtime loss to the Maple Leafs, the Lightning will be without Sergachev for their afternoon tilt tomorrow in Ottawa and Tuesday’s game against the undefeated Carolina Hurricanes.

Mikhail Sergachev To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has some more work to do today, as Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev will have a hearing for his illegal check to the head of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner last night.

Near the end of the first period, Marner was being hooked from behind by Tampa’s Victor Hedman when Sergachev came across the ice and delivered a check that appeared to catch the Maple Leafs forward directly in the head. He was given a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head, but stayed in the game. Marner meanwhile didn’t even leave the ice, staying on for the ensuing powerplay.

It appears as though the league will be handing out some supplementary discipline for the hit, despite Marner not suffering a serious injury on the play. Sergachev has not been suspended previously but did receive a fine in 2019 for a dangerous cross-check. While he won’t be considered a repeat offender in terms of salary forfeiture, his entire disciplinary history is considered.

Central Notes: Kucherov, Sergachev, Slavin, Knight

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The Tampa Bay Lightning may have taken a 3-1 lead against the Florida Panthers Saturday, but at a cost as Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev were both injured during the game. While there have been no updates on either players’ status for Game 5, The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) writes that early indications are that neither injury is considered serious.

Kucherov, who left Saturday’s game after being slashed in the knee by Florida’s Anthony Duclair, also suffered a head-to-head injury when he was shoved into goaltender Chris Driedger. Smith writes that the knee injury isn’t considered serious. Sergachev, however, who left the game with a head injury after a shoulder-to-shoulder hit against the boards from Patric Hornqvist. The belief is that he will be fine, although there is no word if either player would be made available for Game 5.

Smith also notes that there is nothing expected from the Department of Player Safety on anything that happened in Game 4.

  • It looks like the Carolina Hurricanes will be without their top defenseman again Sunday as head coach Rod Brind’Amour said the team will have no lineup changes including no Jaccob Slavin, according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. Slavin who has missed Games 2 & 3 so far due to a lower-body injury, is still considered to be day-to-day, but Brind’Amour stated that he is not ruling out the blueliner for the rest of the series. Slavin led the team during the regular season in ATOI with 22:58 and was second on the team in plus/minus with a +22.
  • Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville said that he will not name a goaltender for Game 5 until Monday, but rookie goaltender Spencer Knight is a possibility to start, according to George Richards of FloridaHockeyNow. While that may not sound like much, Knight was in the starter’s net for practice Monday, while Sergei Bobrovsky and Driedger were sharing the other net. Neither Bobrovsky and Driedger have impressed so far in four playoff games. Each netminder has made three appearances with Driedger being the better of the two, boasting a 3.70 GAA and a .871 save percentage, while Bobrovsky carried a 5.33 GAA and a .841 save percentage. Knight, who fared well in four regular season appearances, could get an opportunity to try to spark a team that’s close to elimination.

Mikhail Sergachev Re-Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have locked up one of their incredible young talents for another few years, signing Mikhail Sergachev to a three-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $4.8MM. Sergachev was a restricted free agent without arbitration rights. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $2.4MM
  • 2021-22: $4.8MM
  • 2022-23: $7.2MM

Technically, this move takes the Lightning about $2MM over the $81.5MM salary cap ceiling for the upcoming season, with Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak still to sign. Still, getting Sergachev under contract for a reasonable amount was imperative, especially with the threat of an offer sheet still theoretically out there.

Make no mistake, even at $4.8MM, Sergachev still represents some excess value for the Lightning. The 22-year-old defenseman, who the Lightning acquired in exchange for Jonathan Drouin in 2017, would likely be a top-pairing player already on many of the teams around the league. That hasn’t been required in Tampa Bay where Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh continue to soak up huge minutes on the blue line, but Sergachev has still seen substantial increases in playing time each season. This year, his third with the Lightning, he recorded a career-high 10 goals in 70 games, racking up 34 points and logging more than 20 minutes a night. That performance carried over to the postseason where he was even more effective, averaging more ice time than any Tampa player not named Hedman or McDonagh en route to a Stanley Cup victory.

Not only could Sergachev probably shoulder a heavier offensive load, but his defensive game has also improved enough to believe he could be an all-situations star. He became a legitimate option on the penalty kill this season, producing excellent results whenever trusted to be out there short-handed, while still playing a strong second fiddle to Hedman on the team’s powerplay units. Financially, he’ll now slot in behind Hedman ($7.875MM cap hit) and McDonagh ($6.75MM) in a tricky cap puzzle for GM Julien BriseBois.

That puzzle has a few extra pieces right now, making it even more challenging to finish. The team will have to at some point move out one or more of their expensive contracts like Tyler Johnson, who was shopped and placed on waivers earlier this summer. There is of course the chance that a player could be injured and placed on long-term injured reserve to help them become compliant, but with Cirelli and Cernak to come the team simply can’t afford everyone.

Sergachev will still be a restricted free agent when this contract expires, though he’ll be just one year away from UFA status and arbitration-eligible. If his career continues down its current path, he’ll have an incredible amount of leverage in his next negotiation. One would have thought the offer sheet scenario would have been extremely enticing to a player like him, who could have certainly made more elsewhere, but Joe Smith of The Athletic reports that Sergachev actually agreed to a three-year structure with the Lightning shortly after the season ended and wanted to “give it another go” with the Cup champions in Tampa.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Long List Of RFAs Still To Sign In Tampa Bay

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You can forgive the Tampa Bay Lightning for taking their time this offseason. The team is celebrating the second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history and first for this super-talented core that has been so dominant for the last several years. Since Jon Cooper’s first full season as head coach of the team in 2013-14, the Lightning have put up a record of 343-172-47, reached the playoffs in six of seven years, and made it to at least the Eastern Conference Finals in four of those. Now, after finally getting over the hump and raising that silver chalice over their heads, GM Julien BriseBois and his front office staff have a ton of work to do.

In fact, there is no one with more restricted free agents still to get under contract in the entire league. And it’s not just quantity over quality in Tampa Bay, the players still without contracts are key members of the team now and for the future.

Anthony Cirelli, the unheralded third-round pick that has turned himself into one of the best two-way centers in the league, just finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting for a season played at age-22. He scored 44 points in 68 games and saw his minutes skyrocket, becoming the most important forward on Tampa Bay’s penalty kill. While he may not get the fanfare of some of the other superstars on the roster, BriseBois and his staff know exactly how important Cirelli is to the team’s future. It is likely why they were trying to move Tyler Johnson and his $5MM cap hit early in the offseason, even waiving the veteran forward at one point.

But it’s not just Cirelli that will command a substantial raise if the Lightning want to sign multi-year contracts with their young free agents. Mikhail Sergachev also sits waiting for a new contract after his best year in the NHL, one which saw him turn from sheltered offensive piece to full-fledged top-four powerhouse. Sergachev, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jonathan Drouin in 2017, has seen his average time on ice increase dramatically each of his three seasons in Tampa Bay. In 2019-20 he averaged more than 20 minutes a night, seeing more than anyone not named Victor Hedman at even-strength. In a season completed while he was still 21, Sergachev still put up excellent offensive numbers—ten goals and 34 points in 70 games—but became a player the team can rely on much more heavily and in many more situations.

It doesn’t end there. Erik Cernak and his nearly three minutes of nightly short-handed ice time is also an RFA. For two seasons the 23-year-old has been a versatile, physical presence that counterbalances some of the team’s more skilled defenders, and was a fearless shot-blocker in the playoffs. In 25 games he recorded 52 blocks, a total that beat out even veteran warrior Ryan McDonagh for the team lead. Even though Cernak doesn’t have the offensive chops of Sergachev, he’ll still need a considerable raise after his early-career performance.

Even past those three, several other depth options are still waiting on new deals. Mathieu Joseph and Alexander Volkov, who each suited up at various times this season and will likely be asked to do the same in 2020-21, are RFAs with no arbitration rights. Neither one has a lot of leverage in talks, but their negotiations are still work to be done before the start of training camp. Dominik Masin was also issued a qualifying offer, but the 24-year-old defenseman is currently playing in the KHL.

Sure, these contracts could come together quickly and at any moment, but the Lightning can’t just sign them all and call it a day. By CapFriendly’s count, the team has less than $3MM in cap space with a roster of 18 players, meaning substantial raises for the three big names isn’t possible without moving other players out. Johnson has been the name thrown around most, but even if his $5MM cap hit is shed completely that still may not give them enough room to sign everyone.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Rumors: Ekman-Larsson, Mrazek, Virtanen, Tampa Bay

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Name a top trade target or impending free agent and they seem to be linked to the Edmonton Oilers. While the team clearly needs to help superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they have cap constraints because of those players as well and holes to fill all over the roster. The team must be confident that they can perform some cap magic, as they have their sights set on making a big splash this off-season. TSN’s Darren Dreger backed up previous rumors today that the Oilers have been talking to the Arizona Coyotes about elite defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In fact, Dreger notes that discussions have been preliminary, but the interest is serious. It’s a complex situation given the cap situations in both Edmonton and Arizona, but the teams appear to be working through their options when it comes to moving Ekman-Larsson, a proven top-pair commodity. Of course, it’s worth noting that Ekman-Larsson has a full No-Movement Clause and could nix a deal to Edmonton if he chooses. Dreger adds that the Boston Bruins also remain interested; Ekman-Larsson may very well prefer landing alongside Charlie McAvoy on the top pair of a perennial contender.

  • The Oilers are also known to be eyeing an addition in goal and have kicked the tires on a number of netminders on the trade block. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the latest name on that list is the Carolina Hurricanes’ Petr Mrazek. LeBrun believes that Mrazek could be more of a fallback option if Edmonton cannot add Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray or Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper or can’t woo Jacob Markstrom in free agency. Of course, if Mrazek is even available for trade, it may mean that Carolina has already landed one of those three Oilers targets for themselves. Mrazek had a fine season for the ’Canes, but the team is looking to upgrade at starter. Unfortunately for Edmonton, Carolina’s castoff would still be an upgrade for them.
  • From GM Jim Benning’s comments since his Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the postseason, it should come as no surprise that he is listening to offers for restricted free agent forward Jake Virtanen, according to Dreger. Virtanen has failed to live up to the expectations of being the 2014 sixth overall pick, but is still due a significant upgrade over his expiring $1.25MM AAV. The cap-strapped Canucks have greater needs than Virtanen’s third-line scoring totals and may be able to put his cap space to greater use via trade. Dreger reports that there is plenty of interest in the 24-year-old power forward, who could still grow into the dangerous scorer that he was in junior.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are less than a day removed from taking home the 2020 Stanley Cup title, but GM Julien BriseBois is already back at work. LeBrun speculates that Tampa must clear at least $10MM in cap space in order to re-sign RFA’s Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak and to rebuild a defense with numerous pending UFA’s. As such,  BriseBois can’t afford to waste any time with free agency approaching. LeBrun notes that the two most talked-about names on the Lightning roster right now are forwards Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde. However, he notes that both players have full No-Trade Clauses and would have to accept any trade. As a result, LeBrun believes there is a growing suspicion that the Bolts may trade a player or two that no one is suspecting in order to clear cap space. That could mean one of the RFA’s themselves is dealt, or perhaps it could be a player lacking trade protection, such as Brayden Point or Andrei Vasilevskiy. One way or another, the Cup-winning roster will look very different next season.

Atlantic Notes: Sergachev, Red Wings, Hawel

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Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is set to be one of the more intriguing restricted free agents this offseason.  He had set a new career high in goals with 10 just before the suspension of the season while he had a chance at reaching the 40-point mark for the second time in his career.  That will have him in line for a sizable raise on his next deal but as he told reporters, including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen, there have been no discussions regarding his next contract.

Sergachev cited the uncertainty surrounding next year’s salary cap as a big factor as to why talks haven’t started yet.  Tampa Bay’s salary cap situation is particularly interesting as they have more than $76MM committed to just 15 players for next season already and a levelled off cap won’t be enough to re-sign Sergachev and their other restricted free agents and fill out the rest of their roster.  Accordingly, it appears the Lightning will have to move some players out before next season and they may want to wait until the offseason to make those decisions.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • The Red Wings have not held any talks with their pending free agents during this stoppage, notes Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. Winger Anthony Mantha is their top restricted free agent of note and indicated that he’s unconcerned about the lack of talks.  Back in March, he had stated that he was hoping to get a long-term deal done with Detroit but the fact he only has played in 43 games this season due to knee and lung issues may make that a bit more challenging.
  • The Canadiens’ AHL affiliate in Laval announced that they’ve signed center Liam Hawel to a one-year, one-way AHL deal. The 21-year-old wrapped up his junior career this season with OHL Kitchener, recording 23 goals and 48 assists in 54 games to sit second on the team in scoring.  Hawel was a fourth-round pick (101st overall) of Dallas back in 2017 but was not signed to an entry-level contract.

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