The Lightning made another smart hockey move Tuesday, signing star Nikita Kucherov to an eight-year extension worth $76 million ($9.5 AAV) — a discount rate for a player who has scored more points than anyone in the NHL the last two years not named Connor McDavid. This is nothing new.

By now, Steve Yzerman practically snaps his fingers and makes the seemingly impossible a reality.

For his next magic act, everyone is wondering whether Tampa's savvy general manager will be able to pull off a trade for Erik Karlsson, the Senators' disgruntled defenseman, and create the NHL's version of a super team. Taking care not to mention Karlsson by name (a player who, mind you, is under contract with another team), Yzerman acknowledged he's entertaining the possibility of making an addition of significance this offseason but denied a trade is close to completion.

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Yzerman on possible trade: "Nothing imminent, nothing at all." Adds he's still exploring possibilities. "But despite what you might have read or even reported, it's very inaccurate." Was careful not to mention Karlsson's name but you can connect the dots. #tblightning — Mike Zeisberger (@Zeisberger) July 10, 2018

This is the first time Yzerman has made public comments since Karlsson rejected Ottawa's extension offer last week. The Lightning emerged as rumored front-runners in trade discussions, which also have reportedly included the Stars and Golden Knights. That chatter died down over the weekend.

It's going to be a complicated trade for Tampa to pull off.

The Lightning are projected for about $13.6 million in salary cap for the 2019-20 season, when extensions for Kucherov and Ryan McDonagh kick in, while anchor contracts for Braydon Coburn and Dan Girardi come off the books. Obviously, that figure will change between now and then, and Yzerman still would need to find a way to offload a contract or two to fit Karlsson under this year's cap ceiling. The Lightning also must consider extensions for Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy next summer.

“I don’t think its impossible," Yzerman said Tuesday, again without mentioning Karlsson specifically. "But if you look at our commitments ... if we were to bring on a significant contract, we’d have to make the money work so to speak.”

The Lightning are still seeking third-party teams like the Devils or Rangers to help facilitate that, The Fourth Period reported. It's believed any team that acquires Karlsson, an unrestricted free agent in 2019, would prefer an extension in place as part of a deal before forking over premium assets. But that can be remedied, too, with conditional draft picks applied to whether Karlsson re-signs with his acquiring team.

Kucherov's deal was inevitable. Karlsson inking extension with next team, pending expected trade, is not a lock. Talk lately suggests if Karlsson doesn't immediately ink extension, significant conditional draft pick compensation will be part of a deal. #TheseAreTheDaysOfOurLives — David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 10, 2018

There had been some discussion about the cap crunch all but eliminating the Lightning from #KarlssonWatch.

If anything, locking up Kucherov long term only strengthens their case for Karlsson, who would be hard-pressed to find a more well-run franchise with which to chase a Stanley Cup the rest of his career — in stark contrast to the current situation in Ottawa.