The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to an eight-year contract extension worth $76 million, or $9.5 million per season. This contract carries him through the 2027-28 season. He’ll also make about $45 million in bonuses according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy Signs With Tampa Bay
Vasilevskiy has only played for the Tampa Bay Lightning in his five-year NHL career. He has a record of 124-59-15 in 208 games. Vasilevskiy has a career goals against average of 2.55 and a .919 save percentage. The Tyumen, Russia native also has notched 18 shutouts in his career. Tampa Bay originally drafted in the first round, 19th overall of the 2012 NHL Draft.
Last season he went 39-10-4 with a 2.40 goals against average and .925 save percentage. He also added six shutouts en route to winning his first career Vezina Trophy. The 25-year-old also appeared in his second career All-Star Game.
He has represented Russia on the international level as he was named to the 2017 IIHF World Championship All-Star team. Vasilevskiy was also named the goaltender of the tournament
What This Means for the Future
Tampa Bay looks to have locked down their goalie of the future for a rate comparable to Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky. Vasilevskiy took a huge step forward over the last couple of seasons and was a key component in the Lightning winning the President’s Trophy.
There are still concerns about trying to fit Brayden Point under the salary cap, but Tampa Bay will likely move some players to create some salary cap space. The Lightning still removed a potential in headache in having to deal with a new contract for their star netminder.
Tampa once again finds a way to keep a key piece and the salary cap will likely rise in the coming season. The cap hit won’t seem so bad if the number keeps going up in the coming years.
TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 10: Andrei Vasilevskiy #88 of the Tampa Bay Lightning warms up during a game against the Ottawa Senators at Amalie Arena on November 10, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
