The Tampa Bay Lightning Will Fall Like the Blackhawks and Here's Why
The Lighning are a great team at this time, a true Stanley Cup, if not playoff contender again. But they're doing exactly what the Hawks did, spend all this money to the point where they're having cap issues, trading players away and having no direction for the future. Just like the Hawks after they won the Stanley Cup in 2015.
Their future may be a problem. They do not have a first round pick this year and next year, as they acquired Brandon Hagel from the Blackhawks at the last Trade Deadline. They have young players, but money is going to be the problem, just like the Blackhawks. The Hawks traded away Artemi Panarin and Nikolas Hjalmarson, because of money issues.
The Lightning are -$7,000,000+ in cap. With Stamkos, and Hedman's contracts expiring soon, this could create a problem for the Lightning in the future. The Blackhawks had a problem with money, being over the cap just like the Lighning when they won the Stanley Cup in 2015. The NHL is planning to raise the cap, but it isn't going to help the Lighning much. Soon came the early playoff exits, missing the playoffs, and now this for the Hawks. Expect the same thing to happen to the Lightning in the next few years.
The Lightning may be good now, but a downfall may come sooner than later, and a new team will be running Florida. Although they have their fair share of young talent, it may be hard to keep some of them.
