Nick Paul Inks Long Term Extension with Bolts

Tampa Bay Lightning restricted free agent Nick Paul has signed a long-term extension with the team. The Bolts made the announcement on their Twitter account, stating Paul has signed a seven-year deal worth $3.15 million per season.

This may come as a surprise to some cap geeks, who are fully aware of the Lightning's cap crunch. At this time, they are nearly two million dollars over the cap, and still have some key upcoming free agents to ink, including: Ondrej Palat and Jan Rutta.

Paul's 7 years x $3(ish) million dollars might been seen as a discount to some, but Tampa is in a no income tax state (Florida). After all, he scored 2 goals in a playoff game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he is the ultimate swiss army knife up and down Tampa's lineup. Paul has played third line wing, first line center, and everything in between. Apparently, he is a big locker room guy and keeps things loose.

This news comes just one day after rumors that the 2x cup champions are shopping shut-down defenseman, Ryan McDonough. With a full no-trade clause and a $6.75 million cap hit, he may prove difficult to deal. The Lightning organization is no stranger to difficult deals, however.

It will be interesting to see how the Bolts continue to navigate their cap crunch and hope to get a bit younger and faster in the process.

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