Tampa Bay Lightning trades Vladislav Namestnikov to San Jose Sharks for Michael Eyssimont

Vladislav Namestnikov is on the move once again.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded Namestinkov to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Mikey Eyssimont.

The trade was first reported by The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman.

#GoBolts have created $500k in cap space through this trade https://t.co/WucEX34rG1

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) March 2, 2023

This is the fifth trade for the Russian forward, with the Bolts originally moving him to the New York Rangers in 2018 in a deal that sent J.T. Miller and Ryan McDonagh back to Tampa. Namestnikov holds a $2.5 million AAV until the end of the season, with Tampa retaining $1.25 million of that.

The 30-year-old has was once a solid middle-six forward, but his offensive output has dried up in recent years. Namestnikov has six goals and 15 points in 57 games with Tampa this year, a step down from his 30-point season between Detroit and Dallas. Namestnikov also spent part of the 2019-20 season with the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche.

Eyssimont, 26, has a $750,000 AAV deal in what can be easily boiled down to as a cap-saving measure by the Lightning. Eyssimont has 13 points in 39 games between Winnipeg and San Jose this year and another nine points in as many AHL games with Manitoba. He’s mainly known for his physicality, but he has proven to be a solid contributor in the minors. In Tampa, he might be able to find a bit of a spark.

The deal leaves the Lightning with around $1.269 million in available room, according to Cap Friendly. So while the players involved aren’t overly significant, the move gives the Bolts a bit of extra flexibility heading towards Friday’s trade deadline. The Eastern Conference has seen some significant moves in recent days, including one that saw the Lightning acquire Tanner Jeannot from Nashville over the weekend.

The arms race in the east isn’t slowing down.