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Brian Elliott Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will bring in a new veteran backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, signing Brian Elliott according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The one-year deal is worth $900K according to Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest.

Elliott, 36, is coming off of a difficult season in Philadelphia in which he was asked to do more than expected behind a struggling Carter Hart and faltered, recording an .889 save percentage and 3.06 GAA. However, there is reason to believe that things will be much different for the veteran in Tampa. He will have a much more reduced role for the Bolts behind workhorse Andrei Vasilevskiy, arguably the best goaltender in the NHL right now. He will also be playing behind a stout Tampa defense that just won back-to-back Stanley Cups. With less responsibility and more protection, Elliott could return to form. A veteran of 502 NHL games over 14 years, Elliott has a career save percentage of .910 and GAA of 2.53.

The value of this deal works out nicely for the cap-strapped Lightning. Barring an injury to Vasilevskiy, the Lightning do not need to ask much of their backup, yet were paying Curtis McElhinney $1.3MM for numbers that were no better than Elliott’s. Filling his vacancy with a respected vet for under $1MM is a savvy move for the team, especially when backup goalies have had high price tags today.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Tyler Johnson

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The Chicago Blackhawks have made another trade, acquiring Tyler Johnson from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning will also be sending a 2023 second-round pick, while Chicago will send Brent Seabrook’s contract back to Tampa Bay. Seabrook is not expected to play again, meaning his contract can be moved to long-term injured reserve. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there was no salary retained in the deal. Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois released a short statement about the move:

I’d like to personally thank Tyler for what he has meant to this organization over the past nine years since he joined the Lightning as an undrafted free agent. He played a pivotal role in the success the team has enjoyed and will forever be remembered as two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Bolts. We wish him all the best in Chicago.

Not only does moving Johnson’s contract open up $5MM in cap space for the Lightning, but acquiring Seabrook’s doesn’t really cause them much issue. It will be tricky, managing the cap without accruing any space during the regular season while in LTIR, but the Lightning have shown they are more than willing to operate in that manner, acquiring dead contracts like Anders Nilsson and Marian Gaborik in the past. The team now essentially has cleared Johnson’s entire $5MM in cap space, though the machinations of LTIR will force them into very specific moves as the season approaches.

Still, ridding themselves of Yanni Gourde through the expansion draft and Johnson through this trade has basically fixed the Lightning’s cap issues, giving them some wiggle room to fill out the depth chart.

So quickly things change in Chicago though, as now Seabrook and fellow franchise icon Duncan Keith are both gone from the organization. Just a year ago Seabrook’s contract looked like one of the worst in the league, but now that he’s not expected to play again, it actually became an asset for the Blackhawks. They added a second-round pick while also landing a player who can help them next season without giving up anything of real value.

Johnson, 30, has three years left on his contract and should actually see an offensive uptick with increased usage in Chicago. Buried behind a long list of offensive talents in Tampa Bay, he’s not so far removed from the 29-goal season he had in 2018-19. In fact, there was a time when Johnson was among the Lightning’s best players, even leading the team in scoring with 72 points in 2014-15. While that might be a lofty goal to return to, he’s still an effective player that should help the Blackhawks compete for the playoffs next season. Add in that he’s now coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and his $5MM cap hit starts to look awfully reasonable.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Otto Somppi

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Otto Somppi to a one-year, two-way contract, avoiding restricted free agency as his entry-level contract was set to expire. The young forward was one of the players who received a qualifying offer from the Lightning yesterday.

Somppi, 23, was originally selected in the seventh round by the Lightning back in 2016, but has been brought along by their development system to the point where he could contribute at the NHL level soon. In 32 games with the Syracuse Crunch last season, the 6’2″ forward scored 12 goals and 26 points. That minor league season came after he played a few games back in Finland, where he added three points for the Lahti Pelicans.

It’s not that Somppi is going to be an NHL star, but if the Lightning can squeeze even a handful of NHL games out of him it will be another win for their scouting and development program. When he was picked in 2016, just six spots from the end of the draft, he had only completed one season in the QMJHL, where he scored 13 goals and 46 points in 59 games. That point total didn’t even improve in his second year with the Halifax Mooseheads, but after a breakout 2017-18 he earned his entry-level deal and turned pro. Time in the ECHL and limited minutes in the AHL were first, but now he’ll return to Syracuse as a key member of their forward group, waiting for his first NHL opportunity.

Free Agent Focus: Tampa Bay Lightning

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Free agency is now just a few days away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Lightning have cleared a little bit of money through expansion, but still don’t have much to retain their pending free agents.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Ross Colton – At the bottom of every Stanley Cup roster, there are always a few homegrown players that provide depth for a bargain bin cost. The Lightning have proven their development system can create NHL players out of almost anyone, and they did it again for fourth-round pick Ross Colton. The 24-year-old forward had 13 goals in 53 combined games, but none bigger than the one on July 7, tapping home a David Savard pass to put the Lightning ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. It would end up being the only goal they needed, meaning whatever happens from here, Colton has a Cup-winning goal on his resume. As an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent he may deserve a slight raise, but the Lightning simply don’t have the budget for one. It will be interesting to see if they can fit him in for really anything more than the $750K league minimum at this point.

D Cal Foote – Many were surprised last week when the Seattle Kraken decided to take Yanni Gourde in expansion instead of Foote. The 22-year-old defenseman was the 14th overall pick in 2017 and made his NHL debut this year, playing 35 games during the regular season. After some deadline additions, he failed to suit up for any playoff games, but will be in the running for the third pairing again next season. In fact, with Savard and Luke Schenn both pending free agents, the Lightning have only five defensemen under contract for the 2021-22 campaign. Foote’s opportunity is right in front of him, by accepting a short-term, low-salary deal (even potentially his qualifying offer) he stands the best chance of being in the NHL lineup every day.

Other RFAs: F Alex Barre-Boulet, F Taylor Raddysh, F Otto Somppi, F Boris Katchouk, F Ryan Lohin, D Sean Day

Key Unrestricted Free Agents:

F Blake Coleman – The value of a quality bottom-sixer is already in full view when linemate Barclay Goodrow signed a six-year, $21.85MM deal with the New York Rangers, and many would say Coleman is the better player. In fact, he might prove to be more than just a bottom-six free agent this summer, he might be the bottom-six free agent. A swiss army knife that can basically play any position on any line, Coleman has scored 13, 22, 21 and 14 goals in his four full NHL seasons, this year’s total coming in just 55 games. He can play in a scoring role, he’s one of the best penalty killers in the league, can create offense by himself thanks to blazing speed, and is physical enough to excel in the playoffs. It’s hard to not see Coleman getting a huge contract in the open market, given the term and money committed to Goodrow already. Zach Hyman–who may have some better offensive numbers thanks to his role in Toronto–is a relatively good comparison for Coleman and is on the verge of signing a seven-year deal in Edmonton.

D David Savard – Acquired at the deadline in a savvy salary cap move, Savard was exactly what the Lightning expected down the stretch and through the playoffs. Steady, quiet, play from the right side, Savard is the kind of second-pairing rock that every team could use. He doesn’t post incredible possession statistics, scored just six points this season and turns 31 in October, but you can bet there is a multi-year deal waiting for Savard that will price him out of Tampa Bay’s range. The four-year, $16MM contract that Adam Larsson signed in Seattle should be a good comparable, though the Kraken had the added benefit of negotiating against no one but Edmonton. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Savard pass that number or even secure a longer deal after playing a key role en route to a Stanley Cup championship.

Other UFAs: F Luke Witkowski, F Boo Nieves, D Luke Schenn, D Brian Lashoff, D Ben Thomas, D Andreas Borgman, G Christopher Gibson, G Curtis McElhinney, G Anders Nilsson (retired),

Projected Cap Space

At least the Lightning are technically under the cap again after losing Gourde and seeing so many others scheduled for free agency. The team has over $80.7MM committed to just 17 players, meaning there will be more moves coming at some point. At least one and maybe two of the team’s expensive forwards will need to go, while the restricted free agents will have to sign for cheap or pack their bags. That’s the cost of putting together a two-time Stanley Cup roster, and there are drastic changes coming in Tampa Bay before the start of next season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

2021 NHL Draft Selections By Team

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Today concluded the 2021 NHL Draft, the first edition with 32 teams in the running. Some teams selected just three times (sorry, Toronto), while Don Waddell and the Carolina Hurricanes selected an NHL-record 13 times for a seven-round draft. After all the chaos of last night and today, catch up here on who your team selected and when.

Anaheim Ducks
Round 1, Pick 3: F Mason McTavish
Round 2, Pick 34: D Olen Zellweger
Round 3, Pick 66: F Sasha Pastujov
Round 3, Pick 76 (from CHI via MTL): D Tyson Hinds
Round 4, Pick 98: F Josh Lopina
Round 5, Pick 130: F Sean Tschigerl
Round 5, Pick 148 (from EDM via OTT): G Gage Alexander
Round 6, Pick 162: F Kyle Kukkonen

Arizona Coyotes
Round 1, Pick 9 (from VAN): F Dylan Guenther
Round 2, Pick 37 (from CBJ via OTT): F Josh Doan
Round 2, Pick 43: F Ilya Fedotov
Round 2, Pick 60 (from COL via NYI): D Janis Jerome Moser
Round 4, Pick 107: D Emil Martinsen Lilleberg
Round 4, Pick 122 (from PIT): G Rasmus Korhonen
Round 5, Pick 139: F Manix Landry
Round 6, Pick 171: D Cal Thomas
Round 7, Pick 223 (from MTL via CHI): F Sam Lipkin

Boston Bruins
Round 1, Pick 21: F Fabian Lysell
Round 3, Pick 85: F Brett Harrison
Round 4, Pick 117: G Philip Svedeback
Round 5, Pick 149: F Oskar Jellvik
Round 6, Pick 181: D Ryan Mast
Round 7, Pick 213: F Andre Gasseau
Round 7, Pick 217 (from TOR): D Ty Gallagher

Buffalo Sabres
Round 1, Pick 1: D Owen Power
Round 1, Pick 14 (from PHI): F Isak Rosen
Round 2, Pick 33: F Prokhor Poltapov
Round 2, Pick 53 (from BOS): F Alexander Kisakov
Round 3, Pick 88 (from FLA): F Stiven Sardarian
Round 3, Pick 95 (from MTL): F Josh Bloom
Round 4, Pick 97: F Olivier Nadeau
Round 5, Pick 159 (from MTL): F Viljami Marjala
Round 6, Pick 161: F William von Barnekow Lofberg
Round 6, Pick 188 (from COL): D Nikita Novikov
Round 7, Pick 193: F Tyson Kozak

Calgary Flames
Round 1, Pick 13: F Matthew Coronato
Round 2, Pick 45: F William Stromgren
Round 3, Pick 77: F Cole Huckins
Round 4, Pick 89 (from TOR via LAK): D Cameron Whynot
Round 5, Pick 141: D Cole Jordan
Round 6, Pick 168 (from LAK): F Jack Beck
Round 6, Pick 173: F Lucas Ciona
Round 7, Pick 205: G Arsenii Sergeev

Carolina Hurricanes
Round 2, Pick 40 (from LAK via NSH): D Scott Morrow
Round 2, Pick 44 (from CHI via CBJ): D Aleksi Heimosalmi
Round 2, Pick 51 (from NSH): F Ville Koivunen
Round 3, Pick 83 (from NSH): G Patrik Hamrla
Round 3, Pick 94 (from VGK via DET): D Aidan Hreschuk
Round 4, Pick 109 (from CGY via LAK): F Jackson Blake
Round 5, Pick 136 (from LAK via OTT): F Robert Orr
Round 5, Pick 147 (from NSH): F Justin Robidas
Round 6, Pick 170 (from OTT): D Bryce Montgomery
Round 6, Pick 187: G Nikita Quapp
Round 7, Pick 200 (from LAK): G Yegor Naumov
Round 7, Pick 209 (from STL): C Nikita Guslistov
Round 7, Pick 219: D Joel Nystrom

Chicago Blackhawks
Round 1, Pick 32 (from TBL via CBJ): D Nolan Allan
Round 2, Pick 62 (from VGK): F Colton Dach
Round 3, Pick 91 (from CAR): D Taige Harding
Round 4, Pick 105 (from VAN): D Ethan Del Mastro
Round 4, Pick 108: F Victor Stjernborg
Round 6, Pick 172: F Ilya Safonov
Round 7, Pick 204: D Connor Kelley
Round 7, Pick 216 (from FLA): F Jalen Luypen

Colorado Avalanche
Round 1, Pick 28: F Oskar Olausson
Round 2, Pick 61 (from NYI via NJD): D Sean Behrens
Round 3, Pick 92: F Andrei Buyalsky
Round 7, Pick 220: F Taylor Makar

Columbus Blue Jackets
Round 1, Pick 5: F Kent Johnson
Round 1, Pick 12 (from CHI): F Cole Sillinger
Round 1, Pick 25 (from TOR): D Corson Ceulemans
Round 3, Pick 69: D Stanislav Svozil
Round 4, Pick 101: D Guillaume Richard
Round 5, Pick 132 (from NJD): D Nikolai Makarov
Round 5, Pick 133: F James Malatesta
Round 6, Pick 165: F Ben Boyd
Round 7, Pick 197: F Martin Rysavy

Dallas Stars
Round 1, Pick 23 (from WSH via DET): F Wyatt Johnston
Round 2, Pick 47: F Logan Stankoven
Round 2, Pick 48 (from NYR via DET): D Artem Grushnikov
Round 3, Pick 73 (from VAN): F Ayrton Martino
Round 3, Pick 79: F Justin Ertel
Round 4, Pick 111: F Conner Roulette
Round 5, Pick 138 (from OTT via MTL, DET): D Jack Bar
Round 5, Pick 143: D Jacob Holmes
Round 6, Pick 175: F Francesco Arcuri
Round 7, Pick 207: F Albert Sjoberg

Detroit Red Wings
Round 1, Pick 6: D Simon Edvinsson
Round 1, Pick 15 (from DAL): G Sebastian Cossa
Round 2, Pick 36 (from NJD via VGK): D Shai Buium
Round 3, Pick 70: F Carter Mazur
Round 4, Pick 114 (from WPG via VGK): F Redmond Savage
Round 5, Pick 134: F Liam Dower Nilsson
Round 5, Pick 155 (from CAR via VGK): D Oscar Plandowski
Round 6, Pick 166: F Pasquale Zito

Edmonton Oilers
Round 1, Pick 22 (from MIN): F Xavier Bourgault
Round 3, Pick 90 (from PIT via SJS, MIN): D Luca Munzenberger
Round 4, Pick 116: F Jake Chiasson
Round 6, Pick 180: F Matvei Petrov
Round 6, Pick 186 (from PIT): F Shane Lachance
Round 7, Pick 212: D Maximus Wanner

Florida Panthers
Round 1, Pick 24: F Mackie Samoskevich
Round 2, Pick 56: D Evan Nause
Round 4, Pick 120: D Vladislav Lukashevich
Round 5, Pick 152: G Kirill Gerasimyuk
Round 6, Pick 184: F Jakub Kos
Round 7, Pick 210 (from WPG): D Braden Hache

Los Angeles Kings
Round 1, Pick 8: D Brandt Clarke
Round 2, Pick 42 (from OTT): F Francesco Pinelli
Round 2, Pick 59 (from CAR): F Samuel Helenius
Round 3, Pick 84 (from EDM via CGY): D Kirill Kirsanov

Minnesota Wild
Round 1, Pick 20 (from EDM): G Jesper Wallstedt
Round 1, Pick 26 (from PIT): D Carson Lambos
Round 2, Pick 54: D Jack Peart
Round 3, Pick 86: F Caedan Bankier
Round 4, Pick 118: D Kyle Masters
Round 4, Pick 127 (from MTL): F Josh Pillar
Round 6, Pick 182: D Nate Benoit

Montreal Canadiens
Round 1, Pick 31: D Logan Mailloux
Round 2, Pick 63: F Riley Kidney
Round 2, Pick 64 (from TBL): F Oliver Kapanen
Round 3, Pick 87 (from WSH via SJS): D Dmitri Kostenko
Round 4, Pick 113 (from STL): D William Trudeau
Round 5, Pick 142 (from PHI): D Daniil Sobolev
Round 5, Pick 150 (from MIN): F Joshua Roy
Round 6, Pick 191: F Xavier Simoneau
Round 7, Pick 214 (from MIN): G Joe Vrbetic

Nashville Predators
Round 1, Pick 19: F Fedor Svechkov
Round 1, Pick 27 (from CAR): F Zachary L’Heureux
Round 3, Pick 72 (from LAK via CAR): D Anton Olsson
Round 4, Pick 115: D Ryan Ufko
Round 4, Pick 124 (from COL via OTT): D Jack Matier
Round 6, Pick 179: F Simon Knak

New Jersey Devils
Round 1, Pick 4: D Luke Hughes
Round 1, Pick 29 (from NYI): F Chase Stillman
Round 3, Pick 68: F Samu Salminen
Round 4, Pick 100: G Jakub Malek
Round 5, Pick 129 (from BUF): D Topias Vilen
Round 6, Pick 164: D Viktor Hurtig
Round 7, Pick 203 (from ARI): F Zakhar Bardakov

New York Islanders
Round 2, Pick 52 (from EDM via DET): F Aatu Raty
Round 3, Pick 93: G Tristan Lennox
Round 4, Pick 125: F Cameron Berg
Round 5, Pick 157: F Eetu Liukas
Round 6, Pick 189: D Aleksi Malinen
Round 7, Pick 221: D Tomas Machu

New York Rangers
Round 1, Pick 16: F Brennan Othmann
Round 3, Pick 65 (from BUF): F Jayden Grubbe
Round 3, Pick 75 (from ARI via NJD, WSH): F Ryder Korczak
Round 4, Pick 104 (from LAK): F Brody Lamb
Round 4, Pick 106 (from OTT): F Kalle Vaisanen
Round 4, Pick 112: G Talyn Boyko
Round 5, Pick 144: F Jaroslav Chmelar
Round 7, Pick 208: D Hank Kempf

Ottawa Senators
Round 1, Pick 10: F Tyler Boucher
Round 2, Pick 39 (from SJS): F Zach Ostapchuk
Round 2, Pick 49 (from STL via BUF, VGK, LAK): D Ben Roger
Round 3, Pick 74: F Oliver Johansson
Round 4, Pick 123 (from CAR): F Carson Latimer
Round 7, Pick 202: D Chandler Romeo

Philadelphia Flyers
Round 2, Pick 46: F Samu Tuomaala
Round 3, Pick 78: G Aleksei Kolosov
Round 4, Pick 110: D Brian Zanetti
Round 5, Pick 158 (from VGK via WSH): D Ty Murchison
Round 6, Pick 174: D Ethan Samson
Round 7, Pick 206: F Owen McLaughlin

Pittsburgh Penguins
Round 2, Pick 58: F Tristan Broz
Round 5, Pick 154: D Isaac Belliveau
Round 7, Pick 194 (from ANA): D Ryan McCleary
Round 7, Pick 215 (from WSH): D Daniel Laatsch
Round 7, Pick 218: F Kirill Tankov

San Jose Sharks
Round 1, Pick 7: F William Eklund
Round 3, Pick 81 (from STL): G Benjamin Gaudreau
Round 4, Pick 103: D Gannon Laroque
Round 4, Pick 121 (from TOR): F Ethan Cardwell
Round 5, Pick 135: D Artem Guryev
Round 5, Pick 156 (from COL): F Max McCue
Round 6, Pick 167: F Liam Gilmartin
Round 6, Pick 177 (from STL): F Theo Jacobsson
Round 7, Pick 199: F/D Evgenii Kashnikov

Seattle Kraken
Round 1, Pick 2: F Matthew Beniers
Round 2, Pick 35: D Ryker Evans
Round 3, Pick 67: F Ryan Winterton
Round 4, Pick 99: D Ville Ottavainen
Round 5, Pick 131: F Jacob Melanson
Round 6, Pick 163: G Semyon Vyazovoi
Round 7, Pick 195: F Justin Janicke

St. Louis Blues
Round 1, Pick 17: F Zachary Bolduc
Round 3, Pick 71 (from SJS): F Simon Robertsson
Round 5, Pick 145: D Tyson Galloway
Round 7, Pick 198 (from DET): F Ivan Vorobyov

Tampa Bay Lightning
Round 3, Pick 96: D Roman Schmidt
Round 4, Pick 126 (from VGK via MTL): F Dylan Duke
Round 5, Pick 160: F Cameron MacDonald
Round 6, Pick 192: D Alex Gagne
Round 7, Pick 196 (from NJD): D Daniil Pylenkov
Round 7, Pick 211 (from NSH): F Robert Flinton
Round 7, Pick 224: F Niko Huuhtanen

Toronto Maple Leafs
Round 2, Pick 57: F Matthew Knies
Round 5, Pick 153: F Ty Voit
Round 6, Pick 185: G Vyacheslav Peksa

Vancouver Canucks
Round 2, Pick 41: F Danila Klimovich
Round 5, Pick 137: G Aku Koskenvuo
Round 5, Pick 140 (from CHI): D Jonathan Myrenberg
Round 6, Pick 169: D Hugo Gabrielsson
Round 6, Pick 178 (from WPG): F Connor Lockhart
Round 7, Pick 201: F Lucas Forsell

Vegas Golden Knights
Round 1, Pick 30: F Zach Dean
Round 2, Pick 38 (from DET): D Daniil Chayka
Round 4, Pick 102 (from DET): F Jakub Brabenec
Round 4, Pick 128 (from TBL via DET): F Jakub Demek
Round 6, Pick 190: D Artur Cholach
Round 7, Pick 222: G Carl Lindbom

Washington Capitals
Round 2, Pick 55: D Vincent Iorio
Round 3, Pick 80 (from NYR): D Brent Johnson
Round 4, Pick 119: D Joaquim Lemay
Round 5, Pick 151: F Haakon Hanelt
Round 6, Pick 176 (from NYR): D Dru Krebs
Round 6, Pick 183: G Chase Clark

Winnipeg Jets
Round 1, Pick 18: F Chaz Lucius
Round 2, Pick 50: F Nikita Chibrikov
Round 3, Pick 82: D Dmitri Kuzmin
Round 5, Pick 146: F Dmitri Rashevsky

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Gemel Smith

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July 23: The Lightning have officially announced Smith’s two-year, two-way deal.

July 22: The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Gemel Smith to a two-year, two-way contract extension, according to CapFriendly. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $250K and a minor league guarantee of $350K in both seasons. Smith would have become an unrestricted free agent next week.

Smith, 27, laid five games for the Lightning this season, recording three assists in limited ice time. While he only has 88 career NHL games under his belt, Tampa Bay may need more and more to rely on these fringe roster players as they deal with the flat cap. Players like Ross Colton and Alex Barre-Boulet are both restricted free agents with arbitration rights, while other bottom-six bargains like Barclay Goodrow have moved on to greener pastures.

At the very least, Smith can continue to provide top-end scoring in the AHL, where he has 86 points over his past 100 games. Originally a fourth-round pick by the Dallas Stars, he now represents valuable depth for an organization that prioritizes it at all levels.

New York Rangers Sign Barclay Goodrow

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July 22: The wait is over, and Goodrow is officially a New York Ranger. The six-year term was correct, and PuckPedia provides the full breakdown:

  • 2021-22: $750K salary + $1.75MM signing bonus
  • 2022-23: $2.5MM salary + $500K signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $5.1MM salary
  • 2024-25: $5.0MM salary
  • 2025-26: $3.75MM salary
  • 2026-27: $1.25MM salary + $1.25MM signing bonus

The deal will carry an average annual value of $3.64MM and includes a 15-team no-trade clause.

July 19: The New York Rangers traded a seventh-round pick for the opportunity to negotiate with Barclay Goodrow ahead of free agency, and it looks like it may result in a long-term contract. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that there has been significant progress between the two sides on a six-year contract that will carry an average annual value of around $3.6MM. Even if agreed to, the contract would have to wait until July 22 when the transaction freeze is lifted.

Goodrow, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, has never scored more than eight goals in a single season and reached a career-high of 26 points in the 2019-20 campaign. Despite that lack of offensive success, the 28-year-old forward is still a valuable, versatile, bottom-six piece that the Rangers obviously believe can help them take the next step. Able to play center and the wing, Goodrow brings size, physicality and a penchant for showing up at the most important moments.

In 2019, before he even joined the Lightning, Goodrow finished one of the most remarkable comebacks in NHL history when he scored an overtime goal for the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks had been down 3-0 partway through the third period of game seven against the Vegas Golden Knights, but scored four times on a single powerplay to take the lead. After Jonathan Marchessault scored to send it to overtime in the dying seconds, it was Goodrow that would slice through the Vegas defense and end the game in overtime. He scored another game-winning tally this year against the Carolina Hurricanes, but it was a shot block late in the deciding 1-0 game five against the Montreal Canadiens that will be remembered most from this postseason run. Goodrow threw his body in front of a Shea Weber blast in the final minute of the game, leading to his coach Jon Cooper pointing to the play as one that “sums up the character” of the Lightning.

Many will rightfully question whether that kind of contribution is worth $3.6MM or a six-year contract. Long-term deals for bottom-six players have very rarely worked out in favor of the team that signs them, and this would certainly qualify as one of the more risky examples. Goodrow’s six goals and 20 points look fine as a depth option making $925K in Tampa Bay, but it’s hard to see how he’ll bring much excess value to New York.

The Rangers changed their entire front office and coaching staff this year, with some reports at the time indicating that it was a few embarrassing losses to the New York Islanders that confirmed the decision for owner James Dolan. If that’s true, then perhaps the team is attempting to follow the Islanders’ model of quality depth throughout the entire lineup—a philosophy indicated once again by the team’s protection of Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck this week. The Rangers also protected Kevin Rooney, himself a fourth-line option that brings size, versatility, and physicality to the bottom-six.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Power, Olympics, Orlando

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The past few days have been quite the event in NHL news, leading up to the Seattle Expansion Draft on Wednesday and the NHL Entry Draft on Friday. But while the majority of news and notes have had to do with the Kraken, including their reported signing of goalie Chris Driedger earlier today, the Entry Draft hasn’t been lost in the shuffle. TSN’s Bob McKenzie, in his final draft piece before the event on Friday, states that in his polling of NHL scouts, University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power has pulled away from the rest of the field and is the consensus No. 1 overall choice ahead of the draft. This comes after reports that the Buffalo Sabres, who hold the first pick, had yet to interview Power and had significant interest in Swedish forward William Eklund instead. But based on McKenzie’s polling, it seems as though Buffalo will still be selecting Power with that first choice. What remains to be seen is if the Sabres acquire an additional top-10 draft choice ahead of Friday, allowing them to potentially select both Power and Eklund. What’s for sure is that neither will join the team next season, as both Power and Eklund have expressed their desire to return to their respective teams for at least one more season.

  • ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski notes that despite the NHL expected to leave an Olympic break in their 2021-22 schedule, their participation in the event is not yet confirmed. This builds on earlier reporting that the NHL had until July 23rd to find a resolution for the situation. However, that was based on the fact that the schedule would be final and without modification. The expectation here is that with an Olympic break built into the schedule, the NHL won’t need to add any time to the season if they are able to send their players to China in 2022. If not, the schedule can be adjusted without extending the season.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced in a press release today that they’ve extended their ECHL affiliation with the Orlando Solar Bears for two years. The agreement takes the two teams through the 2022-23 season and ensures a pipeline of Orlando in the ECHL and Syracuse in the AHL remains constant for the next two seasons. Orlando, previously the ECHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has seen success in recent years after matching with the Lightning organization. The team likely appreciates having a relatively local minor league affiliate and had no desire to move elsewhere.

Tampa Bay Lightning Extend Fredrik Claesson

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The deal seemingly has no real Expansion Draft implications whatsoever, but the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions snuck it in before the transaction freeze anyway. The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that depth defenseman Fredrik Claesson has signed a one-year, two-way extension with the team. The contract carries a minimum $750K NHL salary and $250K AHL salary.

Though seemingly a minor deal, with the serious cap crunch facing the Lightning this off-season there is no minimum salary player that can be ruled out from earning a regular role on the team. Claesson, 28, has six NHL seasons on his resume, including a full-year stint with the Ottawa Senators a few years ago, and could be ready to challenge for a consistent NHL roster spot once again. Tampa GM Julien Brisebois did go out of his way to acquire Claesson from the San Jose Sharks at the Trade Deadline, head coach John Cooper played him in a pair of games down the stretch, and now his extension has been prioritized this summer. It all points to Claesson being more than just AHL depth next season.

A journeyman defenseman who has mostly played bottom-pair minutes, Claesson has nevertheless been able to produce at a moderate level with 28 points in 161 games, .67 points per 60 minutes. In his standout season with Ottawa in 2016-17, Claesson was also extremely aggressive, logging 158 hits in 64 games. Playing a regular role on a team with the talent of Tampa and an elite goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy taking some pressure off of the defense, Claesson could actually make a difference.

New York Rangers Obtain Signing Rights To Barclay Goodrow

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Forward Barclay Goodrow is slated for unrestricted free agency on July 28 and in the meantime very well might be left exposed in the NHL Expansion Draft, leaving him free to negotiate with the Seattle Kraken. However, should he not sign with Seattle, Goodrow’s exclusive negotiating rights now belong to the New York Rangers. The team took the minor risk of getting a head start on contract talks with the two-way winger by sending a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for his expiring contract. That risk will be well worth it if Goodrow signs with New York, as he was expected to draw considerable interest on the open market. The Lightning were not able to extend Goodrow due to salary cap concerns, so they will happily settle for an extra draft pick.

While Goodrow was known as a good two-way forward during his time in San Jose, he blossomed over the past two seasons in Tampa. His offense has improved as has his physicality, creating a dangerous bottom-six combination. A hard-nosed player who excels at even strength and on the penalty kill, Goodrow could assist the Rangers in a number of ways. Namely, new GM Chris Drury wanted to make the team more difficult to play against and adding Goodrow would accomplish that.

However, New York needs to be careful not to negotiate against themselves in this situation. While there has already been rampant speculation that Goodrow could command a long-term contract or considerable salary this off-season, that is with the presumption that he reaches the open market. The Rangers have too many promising young players that will need expensive extensions down the road, not to mention a major hole at top-six center, to get roped into overpaying for a bottom-six forward. Their only competition for Goodrow right now is the Seattle Kraken, otherwise they would be wise to negotiate as if they have exclusive rights and try to keep Goodrow’s value from being artificially inflated before free agency begins.

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