Lightning gain tons of cap room after officially placing Kucherov on LTIR

Last season, many fans were upset with the fact the Tampa Bay Lightning had forward Nikita Kucherov on long-term injured reserve all year, freeing up a ton of cap room, only to activate him for the playoffs and go on to win the Stanley Cup.

Those fans may soon be very upset again, as Kucherov sustained an injury this past week, one which head coach Jon Cooper said will keep him out long-term. As of today, the team put him on long-term injured reserve, and as a result, they freed up $9.5 million in cap space. This means that they could go out and add some more talent to their already stacked roster that has won back-to-back Stanley Cups, though at this time Kucherov is expected to return before seasons end, meaning he could count against the teams salary upon returning. The Lightning will accumulate cap space that can be used later in the season for each game Kucherov misses. LTIR means at least 10 games or 24 days. That is the minimum requirement.

If Kucherov were to remain out until the playoffs once again, one would think the NHL would revisit their current salary cap situation, which doesn't have a cap while the playoffs are underway. However, it is also important people understand that there is no chance the Lightning are purposely keeping their best player out of regular season play just to add more talent, and there is also no chance Kucherov would be okay with that. Nonetheless, this situation has the potential to upset many fans once again.