Lightning trade star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded one of their top defensemen.

In a stunning move, the Tampa Bay Lightning are moving on from defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and have traded him to the NHL's newest franchise, the Utah hockey team. The Lightning are getting a big return for Sergachev, as you would expect for a player of his stature, with Utah sending Conor Geekie, J.J. Moser, a second round pick in 2025, and the 199th overall pick at this year's draft.

Sergachev is coming off of a major injury and carries a big cap hit on an 8 year contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million per season. Sergachev will be entering the second year of that contract this coming season, a second year that carried with it a full no trade clause.

It seems the Lightning were very concerned about their ability to get out from under that contract in the future, as I do not believe that the timing of this trade, just days before Sergachev's no movement clause kicks in, can be viewed as mere coincidence.

Stay tuned for more details.