Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin weighs in on the Kucherov/Lightning cap debacle

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T. Tadi
May 20, 2021 (7:35 PM)

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There has been plenty of back and forth over whether what the Tampa Bay Lightning pulled with Nikita Kucherov was salary cap circumvention and those arguments have only ramped up after Kucherov had posted 4 points through just two playoff games, providing the necessary boost to propel the Bolts to an early 2-0 series lead.

Though it appears that Kucherov was more than likely healthy enough to return during the later stages of the regular season, there was absolutely no way that the Lightning would have been able to fit his $9.5M cap hit, leaving many to question whether Kucherov should have been eligible to play in the postseason at all and wondering why the league never stepped in to prevent it.

Well, the reality is that the defending Stanley Cup Champions did not break any rules as outlined by the CBA and did not technically circumvent anything. They did, however, play well enough all season long to earn a playoff spot without their best player for the entire season.

We already know how the broader NHL fanbase feels about the situation, but we haven't really heard much of anything from the NHL players on the matter.

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN recently had the opportunity to discuss the Bolts' controversial salary cap loophole with Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin, who didn't necessarily agree that the move was shady - but he also didn't entirely disagree either.

"It's a salary-cap world. If I'm on Tampa, I'm stoked about it, so I can't really chirp it too much," said Seguin, trying to view things from a Lightning perspective.

Despite not being overly critical of the clever cap move, Seguin certainly wasn't ready to dismiss the detractors entirely, acknowledging that the move is certainly suspect when viewed through an alternative lens.

"You're definitely flirting with the line of what's right and wrong," he said, alluding to the competitive advantage the Bolts gain by carrying nearly $100M for this playoff run.

While Seguin did not appear to lean more to one side than the other, we can't be certain that other players around the league don't feel as though the Bolts crossed a line. It will be interesting to see what happens during the next CBA negotiations.