<p>It’s eight-year contract day in Tampa. </p>







<p>The Lightning announced on Wednesday that they’ve sighed three players — Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli, and Erik Cernak — to eight-year contract extensions. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We've signed Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli, and Erik Cernak each to an eight-year contract extension.<a href="https://t.co/xruDCctKWL">https://t.co/xruDCctKWL</a></p>— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) <a href="https://twitter.com/TBLightning/status/1547270774892920838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2022</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Sergachev’s deal is worth $8.5 million annually, the most of the trio. He’s going into the final year of a three-year contract worth $4.8 million.</p>



<p>The Lightning acquired Sergachev from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jonathan Drouin back in June of 2017. In five seasons with the Lightning, Sergachev has developed into the high-quality defender that he was projected to be when the Habs drafted him No. 9 overall at the 2016 NHL Draft. </p>



<p><meta charset="utf-8">Cirelli’s contract is worth $6.25 million annually. Like Sergachev, he’s also going into the final year of a three-year contract worth $4.8 million. </p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="146"></div>



<p>The Lightning selected Cirelli in the third round of the 2015 NHL Draft and he made his NHL debut a couple of years later. Cirelli scored 17 goals and 43 points in 76 games this season and finished fifth in Selke Trophy voting for the league’s best defensive forward. </p>



<p>The Lightning also announced on Wednesday that <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeSmithTB/status/1547318345267126282">Cirelli has had surgery</a> done on his shoulder and will miss the beginning of the 2022-23 season. </p>



<p>Cernak’s deal is worth $5.2 million annually. He’s going into the final year of a three-year contract worth $2.95 million. </p>



<p>The Lightning drafted Cernak in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2018-19 and immediately hit the ground running as a quality shutdown defenseman. Cernak often serves as the defensive defender alongside the more offensively-oriented Sergachev. </p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="140"></div>



<p>All three players were set to become restricted free agents next summer.</p>