Six players for the Arizona Coyotes to consider offer sheeting

Brayden Point

While the Toronto Maple Leafs have some questions regarding their cap next season, the Tampa Bay Lightning could be in an even worse situation when trying to renegotiate with one of their top stars.

At present, the Lightning have just over $6 million available in cap space next year with at least four players they will need to consider new deals for.

Brayden Point is an RFA this off-season and could easily command a salary over $6 million, with Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn and Dan Girardi all becoming UFAs at the same time.

With so little room to move, the Lightning might need to offload players before the end of the current seasons to allow themselves more room to get a deal done with Point.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Coyotes could swoop in and offer sheet him in the $8 – $9 million range, up to $3 million more than Tampa’s projected cap space for next season.

This would force the Florida club into a move, or two, if they want to hold on to Point , with the alternative being that they let him walk so they can try and retain the majority of the rest of their roster.

Point would be a dynamic player for the Coyotes and could invigorate the fanbase, giving them a legitimate top line player to play alongside Clayton Keller.

The Coyotes need more goalscoring and Point is good for around 30 goals a season, reaching that mark already this season after earning 32 in 2017/18.

The 22-year-old centre would be a big upgrade over the likes of Derek Stepan and would upgrade the Coyotes overnight.

With the Lightning’s cap situation, Point might be inclined to accept an offer sheet if he feels he is better off earning more right now, with Tampa having very little negotiating power at this stage.