The two sides have apparently made serious progress and are getting closer to a deal, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. It's believed an agreement, if one comes to fruition, would be for a three-year bridge contract, LeBrun adds.
Reports earlier this month suggested that Point and the Lightning remained far apart in negotiations, but with training camp in full swing and the regular season beginning next week, it seems like significant progress has been made in a short period of time.
Several other highly-prized restricted free agents inked bridge deals with their respective clubs this summer, including defenseman Zach Werenski with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Charlie McAvoy with the Boston Bruins, and forward Brock Boeser with the Vancouver Canucks.
Point totaled a career-high 41 goals and 92 points in 79 contests in the final year of his entry-level deal in 2018-19 and finished third on the Lightning in scoring.
Tampa Bay holds $8.47 million in projected cap space with Point the only player in need of a new deal for 2019-20, according to CapFriendly.
Leading up to the start of the 2019-20 season, theScore will be counting down the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by our NHL editors. We'll reveal 10 players every day until the top 10 is unveiled Oct. 2.
As the No. 1 pick in 2017, expectations are high for Hischier, and he's demonstrated flashes of brilliance over his first two seasons in New Jersey. The 20-year-old notched 47 points in 69 games last season, and with the Devils now loaded up following new additions, he should be poised for a breakout campaign.
99. David Krejci, Bruins
Krejci showed last season that he's anything but over the hill, posting a career-high 53 assists and matching his career-best with 73 points. He also added 16 more points in 24 contests during the Bruins' Stanley Cup Final run. Not bad for a 33-year-old.
98. Matt Dumba, Wild
Bruce Kluckhohn / National Hockey League / Getty
Dumba was on pace for a career-high 30 goals and 56 points in 2018-19 before a torn right pectoralis muscle ended his season in late December. The 25-year-old is an incredible two-way defenseman and could even be considered a dark horse candidate for the Norris Trophy.
97. Robin Lehner, Blackhawks
Those under the impression that Lehner's remarkable 2018-19 season was a product of Barry Trotz's defensive system are wrong. The Islanders were actually a middle-of-the-pack team in scoring-chance prevention, but Lehner still finished second in the league with a .930 save percentage and third with a 2.13 goals-against average.
96. Cam Atkinson, Blue Jackets
Atkinson has become the face of the Blue Jackets during the post-Rick Nash era. He led Columbus with a career-high 41 goals last season, good enough to tie for sixth league-wide. After several high-profile departures during the offseason, the Jackets will lean heavily on Atkinson's offensive production in 2019-20.
95. Dougie Hamilton, Hurricanes
Don't put too much stock in Hamilton's declining point production over the last couple of seasons. The Carolina blue-liner posted a sublime 57.61 Corsi For percentage and a solid 52.17 Goals For percentage in 2018-19 while solidifying his role in one of the NHL's best defensive pairings.
94. William Karlsson, Golden Knights
Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Karlsson burst onto the scene with an incredible 43-goal campaign in 2017-18, but he potted only 24 goals last season. Realistically, the 26-year-old Swede will probably finish closer to the latter mark in 2019-20, but he's still a very skilled player who fills an important role up the middle for an elite team.
93. Braden Holtby, Capitals
Holtby is coming off the two worst regular seasons of his career, but he remains one of the league's most accomplished goalies. In his trophy case, there's a Vezina Trophy, a Jennings Trophy, and most importantly, a Stanley Cup.
92. Alexander Radulov, Stars
Radulov may have found a home in Dallas after spending time in Nashville, Montreal, and the KHL throughout his career. He scored a career-high 29 goals last season (topping his previous best of 27 from the season prior), and the veteran also matched his best campaign with 72 points despite playing in only 70 games.
91. Kyle Connor, Jets
The unsigned restricted free agent took another step forward during his second full season with Winnipeg, although a shooting percentage of 15 helped during his 34-goal, 66-point campaign, following a 16.1 percent clip in 2017-18. Regardless, the skilled 22-year-old winger complements his linemates perfectly.
Former NHL defenseman Eric Gryba announced his retirement from professional hockey on Sunday.
I’m hanging up the skates! I am proud of the career I was able to put together and couldn’t be more grateful of all the support I received along the way. I am excited for my next chapter and all the challenges that are to come. Now let’s hunt!#timetohunt#nextchapter#retirementpic.twitter.com/kUrLSe8o7U
A third-round pick of the Sens in 2006, Gryba was not known for his offense, contributing just 43 points in his career. The stay-at-home blue-liner was known for his physical play, racking up a total of 776 hits and 368 penalty minutes.
The Nashville Predators' top offensive prospect is headed to Milwaukee once again.
Eeli Tolvanen was among a dozen players assigned to Nashville's AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, on Sunday.
Selected 30th overall by the Predators in the 2017 NHL Draft, the Finnish winger scored one goal and fired six shots on goal over three preseason games in September.
Tolvanen, 20, notched 15 goals and 35 points in 58 games with the Admirals last season.
Jake Gardiner appears to be appreciating his new home outside the Toronto fishbowl.
The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman, who joined the team this summer following eight seasons with the Maple Leafs, recently expressed as much to ESPN's Emily Kaplan during his first training camp with his new club.
"I can be pretty anonymous here," Gardiner said. "Especially now. My first fan experience was at the golf tournament; this guy came up and said, 'Can you take a photo of me with the mascot?' So I took the picture of him and the mascot. And I was on the team."
Carolina signed Gardiner to a four-year, $16.2-million contract as an unrestricted free agent in early September.
The 29-year-old struggled mightily in the Leafs' Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins this past spring, taking responsibility for his performance in an emotional postgame scrum. He was scapegoated by Toronto fans and media throughout his Leafs tenure, and notably earned boos every time he touched the puck during the third period of a January home game against the Colorado Avalanche after a misplay led to a costly shorthanded goal.
Gardiner collected 245 points in 551 career games with the Maple Leafs.
