The NHL Entry Draft is officially done. The Tampa Bay Lightning made eight picks. However, none were in the first round.
Free Agent Frenzy is fast approaching. We’ve already seen several teams make big moves and daring trades, as the chaos of the offseason arrives a little earlier than usual. However, down in Tampa Bay, things have been rather quiet, and it is looking like we may not see any big moves until free agency opens up on July 1st.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have a few roster needs that must be addressed this offseason. It is likely that the Lightning will want a top 6 winger, as well as a depth defenceman. Young winger Gage Goncalves also still needs a contract, and then there is the matter of Isaac Howard, and what Julien Brisbois will try to cook up with the former Hobey Baker Award winner who remains reluctant to sign with the Lightning.
The Lighting will have to get incredibly creative this offseason to try and address their needs. With only $3.5 million in cap space, the Lightning will either have to shed cap space, or find some diamonds in the rough in free agency. With that being said, let’s look at five possible free agents for the Lighting to target.
Victor Olofsson
24-25 stats: 15G 14A 29P, previous cap-hit: 1.075m
Olofsson is a scoring winger who, towards the end of his tenure with the Buffalo Sabers, was not scoring. He signed cheaply last season on a 1 year “prove it” deal with the Golden Knights, which saw him effectively double his scoring output from the previous season. Olofsson could be something of a project for the Lightning that won’t effectively break the bank. The left-shot winger would add an extra threat to Tampa’s PP2 unit, and provide meaningful middle six scoring.
Connor Brown
24-25 stats: 13G 17A 30P, previous cap-hit: $1.00m
Connor Brown is a right shot, defensively minded winger, who has worked hard to rebuild his reputation in Edmonton over the last two seasons. Brown is a player who certainly won’t be asking for the world on his next contract, but would be a nice fit on the right side in Tampa’s bottom six. On top of an acceptable regular season, Brown also found the back of the net 5 times in the Oilers 20 playoff games, as well as 4 assists for 9 points. A mix of depth scoring and solid two-way play would be welcome in Tampa, especially if Brown can maintain a similar playoff production.
David Savard
24-25 stats: 1G 14A 15P, previous cap-hit: $3.5m
A reunion with David Savard could make sense for all parties, as the veteran defenceman looks for a new contract. The steady, stay at home defenceman continues to do just that, and provides good stability in a depth role. With Montreal recently acquiring Noah Dobson, and continuing to introduce young players into their roster, it is unlikely the rugged vet resigns, and is likely moving onto his last contract or two in this league. The pursuit of one last cup in exchange for a reasonable cap hit would certainly be an entertaining idea for both sides.
Brian Dumoulin
24-25 stats: 3G 19A 22P, previous cap-hit: $3.15m
Brian Dumoulin is another big bodied defenceman who will not make getting to the front of the net easy. At 6’4”, 214 lbs, he is a daunting presence on the ice. He hits, blocks, and can provide a little depth scoring support. As well, at 33 years old and looking for his fifth team in four years, likely won’t command a significant raise over his last cap-hit, if a raise at all.
Andrei Kuzmenko
24-25 stats: 11G 26A 37P, previous cap-hit: $5.5m
Kuzmenko has had an interesting tenure in the NHL thus far. Putting up nearly 40 goals and over 70 points in his inaugural season with the Vancouver Canucks quickly earned him a 2 year, 5.5m contract, that he has since not been able to replicate. Kuzmenko has now played on four different teams in the last 2 years, and is likely looking for a more permanent home. Although he has not managed to bring back the performance of his first season, the 29 year old, right shot winger did show flashes of his old ways with Calgary and Los Angeles. During the Kings’ first and only playoff series, Kuzmenko notched 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 games. Kuzmenko would likely be the priciest player on this list, and may even require some shedding of cap to get, but if Jon Cooper can work his coaching magic, Kuzmenko could be a really good player provided at a more than reasonable cap-hit.
Closing
There are still a few days before Free Agency arrives, and it is clear that the Lightning are holding their cards close to their chest. It will be extremely difficult this offseason to pull off the flashy and exciting moves we got last year and years prior, with so little cap space, the Lighting will have to get creative. Will one of the aforementioned players be the answer? Is there another player waiting for their chance to shine down in Tampa Bay? We’ll all find out on July 1sts and the weeks following.
