Several Lightning stars exposed to expansion transfer

The first step in the potential breakup of the Stanley Cup champion Lightning has been taken.

The Bolts exposed several key players on their back-to-back championship team to the new Seattle Kraken expansion team. Those players include stars  Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, Ross Colton, Mathieu Joseph, Pat Maroon, Cal Foote and Jan Rutta.

The Kraken can take one of those players at the draft, which begins Wednesday.

The Lightning also likely will have to move more players to comply with the NHL’s $81.5 million salary cap. The team currently is about $4 million over that limit.

– Joe Henderson, Extensive Enterprises Media