The Tampa Bay Lightning have a slate of notable pending free agents, including veterans Ryan McDonagh and Oliver Bjorkstrand . Today, Lightning general manager Julien Brisebois told the media, including team reporter Benjamin Pierce , that contract negotiations with the representatives of its pending free agents will be tabled until after the season. Brisebois also added that despite doing so, the club still plans on retaining McDonagh beyond this season.

Brisebois said that when they re-acquired McDonagh, they informed him that “the plan was to not only have him finish his contract here, but sign another contract after that.” He added that his expectation is that McDonagh will do just that. Brisebois pointed to Yanni Gourde and his six-year contract extension as the model

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