Coming off their second straight Stanley Cup, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been busy. They had to unload a few key players to become salary cap compliant. Now, general manager (GM) Julien BriseBois is making the necessary moves to ensure the team remains a contender going forward.
Familiar Faces Return
The Lightning signed forward Gabriel Dumont and defenseman Andrej Sustr to one-year, two-way contracts.
Dumont has played in 90 NHL games over a seven-year career. 46 of those came in a two-year stretch as a member of the Bolts organization. He served as captain of the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Syracuse Crunch, during the 2018-19 season.
In his time with the Lightning, he put up two goals and four points. All of those came during his best season in 2016-17. That leads to the belief he’ll add depth to an organization that needs it after losing Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde among others this offseason.
Sustr, meanwhile, spent parts of six seasons in Tampa Bay. His best season offensively came in 2015-16 when he registered 21 points in 77 games. Unfortunately, his defensive play had begun trending downward after a good start to his big league career. He spent the 2021 season playing overseas, but provides experience for the young guys in Syracuse.
Charles Hudon, Darren Raddysh and Maxime Lagace also signed one-year, two-way contracts to help provide depth at the AHL level.
Bogosian’s Back & Hoping For Another Title Run
At the 2019-2020 Trade Deadline, GM Julien BriseBois made a series of moves to push the Lightning from Stanley Cup contenders to Cup winners. One move that flew under the radar was his pick-up of ex-Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian.
In fact, some called the move crazy, as Bogosian had been a defensive liability for years. The Sabres decided they’d had enough and designated the veteran blueliner for assignment. With injuries mounting and the playoffs rapidly approaching (until the world shut down), BriseBois swooped in to get Bogosian before another team thought to.
Turns out, it was a match made in heaven for both parties. Bogosian tallied two points and an even plus-minus in eight games before the pause. Once the playoffs began, he raised his level of play a notch, compiling four points and a plus-1 rating in 20 games. That helped the Lightning capture their first Stanley Cup since 2004.
Once the 2020 season concluded, Bogosian signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After spending the abbreviated season north of the border, he decided to rejoin the Bolts on a three-year contract beginning with the 2021-2022 season.
Point Extended
Coming off of another career playoff run, Brayden Point is finally getting paid. Beginning with the 2022-2023 season, he’s signed for eight years with an AAV of around $9.5 million.
His impact can’t be overstated. Point has been among the top three scorers for the Lightning in the past four seasons. He also led the league with 14 goals this past postseason. Let’s not forget his heroic five-overtime game winner to kick off the 2020 playoffs either. That set the stage for a magical run to the Cup.
Restricted Free Agents Signed
After dealing promising youngster Mitchell Stephens to the Detroit Red Wings for a 2022 sixth-round draft pick, BriseBois set to work signing all of his remaining RFA’s. He began by signing defenseman Cal Foote to a two-year, one-way deal worth $850,000.
Next, he signed forward Alex Barre-Boulet to a three-year deal worth about $758,300. The first year is two-way, meaning he can be sent to Syracuse at any point without clearing waivers, while the final two are one-way.
BriseBois also inked forwards Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk to three-year contracts worth the same amount as Barre-Boulet’s. They also have the same stipulation, with the first year being two-way and the final two being one-way.
Defenseman Sean Day was given a one-year, two-way contract. He’s likely to spend most of his time in Syracuse, as the Lightning have Bogosian and Foote to round out their defense corps.
Finally, the team avoided arbitration by signing Game 5 hero Ross Colton to a two-year deal worth $1.125 AAV. The young forward made quite an impact upon being called up by scoring a goal in his NHL debut. He also notched four game winners, tying him for first among all rookies. Then there he was, delivering the game-winning goal to clinch the franchise’s second Stanley Cup in less than a year.
Other Key Additions
- G Brian Elliott (one-year contract)
- F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (two-year contract)
- F Corey Perry (two-year contract)
Now that free agency has settled down, what do you think of the Bolts moves? Did they do enough to remain playoff contenders or not? While nobody can predict the future, one has to think this franchise will remain a contender for years to come.