Finally Point Inks A New Deal

 

By: Michael Wax

The final piece of the puzzle has been put into place!

The Lightning and Brayden Point have come to an agreement on a contract extension: 3 years, $6.75 Million AAV (average annual value). A good deal for both sides, but let’s get into why each side might have the advantage:

Why This Deal is Advantageous for Tampa

Ultimately, the biggest part of this deal was making sure that Brayden Point wouldn’t miss any games during the season. In an offseason where the players seem to hold all the cards, the one advantage that Tampa had over other teams was the commitment that Point wanted to stay a member of the Lightning. He showed his commitment in a multitude of way, including:

Not accepting an offer sheet

Not pledging any allegiance to a non-NHL team

Not overly exploiting the contract over numerous forms of media

All three of these measures were taken by RFAs to try to get a deal done, while Point and his camp stayed quiet.

While the commitment to the Lightning was much appreciated, the cap hit was lower than anyone expected. For reference, Brock Boeser also signed a 3-year contract, and his cap hit will be $5.875 Million. All due respect to Boeser, put Point is a much better player, has put up better stats, and plays center. It felt like after Marner signed his 6-year, $10.893 Million AAV deal, Point was going to get at least $10 Million. Nevertheless, Point showed a huge commitment into staying a Bolt. This makes it slightly easier to sign depth pieces Erik Cernak, Anthony Cirelli, and Mikhail Sergachev when their contracts run out at the end of the season.

Finally, Point remains an RFA at the end of this 3-year deal. While he will no doubt ask for a higher payment next time, the Lightning should have more than enough cap to secure their superstar center. 3 years ago, the NHL salary cap was $71.4 Million, less than $10 Million of what it currently is. Seeing that, the cap should rise at least another $10 Million, maybe more considering the Seattle expansion franchise coming in 2021-22. They may get rid of some bad contracts, freeing up even more space. However, that’s 3 years from now’s problem. For now, we celebrate Brayden Point for the player he is.

Why This Deal is Advantageous for Point

Brayden Point has the opportunity to play the next three seasons with Nikita Kucherov. Enough said?

For real though, the duo of Kucherov and Point should be absolutely lethal next season, and beyond. Last season, both Point and Kucherov hit a career high in points, with Point hitting 92 and Kucherov leading the league with an absurd 128. I highly doubt that Kucherov puts up those numbers again (maybe above 110, but hitting 130 would be almost impossible), but if they can maintain the chemistry from last season, they’ll be unstoppable.

Not only does Point get to play with a superstar, but he is a superstar himself. As mentioned above, he not only set a new career-high in points (92), but also set new career-highs in goals (41) and assists (51). His faceoff percentage has climbed from a below-average 44.7 in 2016-17 to a respectable 50.8 in 2018-19. While shooting over 20% is unheard of in today’s day and age, Point was one of 5 players that played over 40 games to accomplish the feat (21.5%). His 20 power-play goals led the league, and he only took 14 minor penalties last season. Point should improve again, increasing his value even more.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this is a great deal for both sides. The Lightning save cap space in order to sign their young players for next season, while Point has the next 3 seasons to show that he’s worth a much nicer contract next time around. JBB adds another feather to his cap as Lightning GM.

EDIT: Today Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said that Brayden Point will miss at least the first month recovering from offseason hip surgery. This will open up a roster spot to a bubble player, and Point should continue his dominance when he returns.