Lightning’s BriseBois makes big trades ahead of free agency, with an eye on Guentzel

Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois electrified the draft Saturday morning by trading Mikhail Sergachev to Utah and Tanner Jeannot to Los Angeles — with the Lightning poised to do big business as free-agency approaches.

BriseBois indicated Friday that franchise cornerstones Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman were trending in different directions. Stamkos likely headed to free agency (with agent Don Meehan confirming that being the likely scenario) and Hedman to a contract extension on the first day he is eligible, July 1.

Tampa’s believed priority target is Jake Guentzel, coming off a 30-goal season in Pittsburgh and Carolina.

What happened between the Hurricanes and Guentzel is still being determined. According to multiple sources, Guetzel’s ask was eight years with an $8M AAV. It was made some time ago, with the two sides grinding away in negotiations since that time — perfectly normal.

On Thursday, the Hurricanes agreed to meet those terms and were prepared to discuss structure. Several teams said they heard the winger was staying in Carolina. But, with July 1 approaching, those same sources indicated Guentzel decided that, the longer it took, the more he thought about testing free-agency as, is his right.

“It looks like the market changed from when they started negotiating and now,” another GM said.

It’s possible Guentzel’s rights are traded prior to Monday. There are teams who want to talk to him, to gauge his interest.

As for Stamkos, it is hard to say immediately what this means. As the draft continued, it became obvious there is no shortage of teams that would love to talk to him if he gets to free agency. We’ll see what develops.

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