Rapid Rewind: Lightning Offseason Grade

The Tampa Bay Lightning steam rolled through the NHL last season, that is until they reached the postseason. The Columbus Blue Jackets ousted the number one seed in the Eastern Conference in the first round of the playoffs. The Blue Jackets were the more determined team, and the Lightning players looked as though they could win the series on talent alone. The Lightning return a stacked roster that was improved even more in the offseason, and should be favorites to win the Stanley Cup again this year.

The Bolts didn’t need to make too many changes to the roster, but they did need to acquire a back up goalie via free agency or trade. A couple of veteran blue liners were needed to be the sixth or seventh defensemen. The Lightning would have to clear some cap space to get better while trying to re-sign key players to new deals.

FREE AGENCY

The Lightning knew that they would have to be smart with any money spent in the offseason, and they were just that. They managed to re-sign key free agents like Braydon Coburn, Danick Martel, and Cedric Paquette without breaking the bank. The contracts were cap and term friendly. The Lightning also extended defenseman Jan Rutta for one year. The biggest deal of the offseason was to sign goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to an eight-year extension worth $76 million dollars with a cap hit of $9.5 million per season. The new cap hit doesn’t start until the 2020-21 season.

In free agency, the Lightning landed the backup goalie that they desperately needed so Vasilevskiy can play less games this season. Curtis McElhinney decided to leave the Carolina Hurricanes and come to Tampa Bay on a two-year contract worth $2.6 million. The other big names the Lightning brought in this offseason were defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and left wing Patrick Maroon. Shattenkirk signed a one-year deal worth $1.75 million, while Maroon signed a one-year deal worth $900,000. The other notable veterans signed were goalie Scott Wedgewood, defenseman Luke Witkowski and defenseman Luke Schenn. 

TRADES

The Lightning had some work to do if they wanted some cap room to sign some restricted free agents to new contracts. The first move to unload cap space of the offseason was to trade forward J.T. Miller to the Vancouver Canucks. Miller had three years, $15.75 million left on his current deal. The Bolts cleared $5.25 million off the books for each of the next three years. The Lightning got a prospect and two picks back in the trade.

The other trade this offseason sent a well liked, but often injured player to the Ottawa Senators. Ryan Callahan and a drafted pick to the Ottawa Senators for Mike Condon and a draft pick. In the trade, the Lightning cleared another $3.4 million off the books. The two players are both unrestricted free agents after the season, but Condon is set to make $2.4 million. Callahan was slated to make $5.8 million, but he will likely be placed on long-term injury reserve due to a career ending neck injury.

OVERALL GRADE: C

The Lightning managed to create some cap space while improved an already stacked roster. The team signed players to cap friendly deals, but signed the goaltender to a pretty hefty contract. They also got the backup goalie needed so Vasilevskiy can get a break during the season, if needed. The Bolts also signed key restricted free agents to new deals, but there remains one key player not signed heading into training camp and preseason.

Brayden Point really stepped up his game last season for the Lightning, and yes, playing with Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos helped. Point is a key player in all facets of the game for the Lighting. He brings speed to the lineup and he isn’t afraid to go to the net. He is often used on the power play, as either the net front presence or a setup guy. If Point is signed and starts the season on time, then the Lightning offseason grade would get boosted up to a B.