The Tampa Bay Lightning have been perennial Stanley Cup contenders since they won the President's Trophy as the NHL's top team back in 2018-19. Although that season ended with a Round 1 sweep to the Florida Panthers — one of the biggest playoff upsets in the history of the sport — the Lightning bounced back, winning two consecutive Stanley Cups.

After a third trip in 2022, Tampa Bay finally came back to earth last season, losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games in Round 1. Like most yearly Stanley Cup contenders, it is only a matter of time before this core is no longer able to compete, and the Lightning must endure a full-scale rebuild.

But that isn't the case yet, with the core of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy still one of the premier units in the league. But with cap space a constant concern in Tampa Bay, there is reasonable wonder how much longer this team can compete for Stanley Cups. The roster is aging, the prospect pipeline is absolutely bare, and one of the best dynasties of the 21st century is a ticking clock. Here are a few players who could be on the move to facilitate the future (and provide cap relief).

Zach Bogosian, D

Zach Bogosian is one of the hardest skaters to play against in the NHL, and he has been a complementary piece on two of three of the Lightning's recent Cup runs. But now at 33-years-old, the New York native has lost a step, and is costing general manager Julien Brisebois $850,000 next season.

As Bogosian is an unrestricted free agent next summer, he could be moved for salary cap relief, or left to sign with another team in NHL Free Agency. There are a few young up-and-comers on the team's blue line, including Darren Raddysh and Haydn Fleury, who will be pushing for full-time NHL spots next season. For that reason, the veteran Bogosian could end up becoming expendable next season.

Nick Perbix, D

Similar to Bogosian, Nick Perbix could be in jeopardy of losing a roster spot to the youth revolution on the blue line in Tampa Bay. Although he is only 25-years-old, Perbix is signed for two more seasons at $1.125 million AAV, and he could be moved to free up space. This isn't a player that Brisebois would want to move, as Perbix had a very solid rookie season with 20 points in 69 games. But the reality is that Hedman is making $7.8 million, Mikhail Sergachev is due $8.5 million, and Erik Cernak is costing the team $5.2 million next year.

There is only so much money to go around, and with the core all making upwards of $8 million, something will have to give. It's unlikely that Perbix will be dealt this season, but he could be a name to watch if the beginning of the campaign doesn't go as planned for Tampa Bay.

Steven Stamkos, C/LW

Lighting fans are not going to be happy with me including superstar and face of the franchise Steven Stamkos on this list. But as of the second week of September, the Bolts are nearly $7 million over the salary cap. The 33-year-old captained the squad to Stanley Cup triumphs in 2021 and 2022, and he will always be a legend in Tampa Bay.

But hard decisions are going to need to be made in Southwestern Florida over the next few years. The most glaring one is Stammer, who is entering the final season of his eight-year, $68 million contract. He is making $8.5 million next season, and is due to test unrestricted free agency next summer.

“In my eyes, this is the only jersey I ever want to wear in my career,” Stamkos said at the team's end of season media availability, according to NHL.com's Chris Krenn.

“In today's game, to be able to be with one organization and to do some pretty special things I was able to accomplish this year with some of those milestones, that means a lot to me to have done that with one team. Winning the championships are obviously the highlights, hopefully there's more to come.”

It's clear that Stamkos wants to stay with the Bolts and the team wants to keep him. He should retire in Tampa Bay. But from a purely business standpoint, he could fetch a huge return on the open market, and that would also take his cap hit off of the books. I'm not saying that Brisebois should consider trading the captain, but in an effort to gauge what is best for this franchise long-term, it could end up being a smart move.