By Taylor Landau
After being eliminated from playoffs by the 2024 Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning were left with nine free agents to wrangle (one RFA and eight UFAs respectively). In all the chaos surrounding Steven Stamkos' contract and the rapid-fire signings around the league on July 1st, some of the Lightning's moves and free agents got lost in all the noise. Here's a summary of what happened (so far) to all nine of the Lightning's free agents.
Logan Brown (RFA) - Unsigned
A lot of Lightning fans may be surprised to see this name on the list. After all, forward Logan Brown didn't even play a single game in a Bolts sweater. Last September, Brown signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 AAV and was set to compete for a bottom-six position on the starting lineup.
However, prior to the start of the season, the team announced that Brown was placed on the LTIR for an undisclosed injury and never provided a timeline for his return. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old forward never made an appearance for the team, and the Lightning did not offer him a qualifying over before the deadline. There still has yet to be an update on his status.
I don't disagree with the Lightning moving on from him. It's unfortunate, but Brown's unknown injury status makes him a potential liability going forward, especially if its as severe as it seems. If the organization can't say with confidence that he will play a role this year, they have no choice but to move on. Similarly, the team surely knows more about his injury than the general public. They must know something we don't if they weren't willing to give him a qualifying offer.
In 99 career games, Brown scored 7 goals and notched 19 assists, totaling 26 points.
Mitchell Chaffee (UFA) - Re-Signed
Newcomer Mitchell Chaffee made a big splash on the Lightning's roster this year. In May shortly after the end of the season, Chaffee signed a two-year, one-way deal with an AAV of $800,000. His first year in the NHL, Chaffee's physicality and forechecking landed him a future spot in the lineup, which should be no surprise to Tampa Bay fans. He slotted well into the bottom six this season and finished with 4 goals and 3 assists in 30 games. It's a bit surprising to see that it's a one-way deal (meaning he cannot get sent down to the Syracuse Crunch anymore), but that's a testament to his level of play and the confidence the organization has in his skills. With more openings on the team this upcoming season, prepare to see a big uptick in Chaffee's NHL playing time.
Calvin de Haan (UFA) - Colorado Avalanche
Veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan provided much-needed defensive support this past season, but the Lightning ultimately moved on. At the start of free agency, de Haan signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche worth $800,000. In 59 games with the Bolts, de Haan scored 3 goals and notched 7 assists with a -9. He generally slotted into the second or third defensive pairing when he wasn't scratched. He wasn't a major points player, but he played a good game with few mistakes, which was essential to a defensively depleted Lightning roster. De Haan had some of the lowest average time on ice among all defenseman, but when he played, he was a sturdy two-way player (with an emphasis on defense) and a solid addition to the penalty kill.
With the return of Ryan McDonagh and the addition of J.J. Moser, the Lightning seem to feel pretty confident in their blue line going forward, so it's not much of a surprise that they didn't re-sign de Haan. Still, he could've provided some defensive depth for the team, which is never a bad thing.
Anthony Duclair (UFA) - New York Islanders
Acquired at the trade deadline from San Jose, Anthony Duclair was a perfect fit for the Lightning's first line. In 15 games with the Lightning, he scored 8 goals and notched 7 assists, bringing him to a season total of 24 goals, 18 assists, and 42 points. He makes up for his poor defensive game with his quick skating speed, impressive offensive prowess, and ability to create and score on lots of chances.
Lightning general manager Julien Brisebois expressed an interest in bringing Duclair back, but it unfortunately did not work out. On July 1st, Duclair signed a four-year deal worth $3.5m AAV with the New York Islanders. The signing came as a bit of a surprise to Lightning fans since his contract price was much lower than most anticipated and Brisebois cleared $16.5m in cap space prior to the start of free agency. Regardless, the winger is set to start for his ninth NHL team this October.
Matt Dumba (UFA) - Dallas Stars
Veteran defenseman Matt Dumba was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes at the trade deadline to provide the Lightning with some much-needed defensive help. In 18 games with the Bolts, he only received 2 assists, but he wasn't necessarily brought in for his offensive play. He's had lots of problems with injuries over the years that probably had long-term effects on his game. That being said, he wasn't a bad pickup for the team.
Initially, Julien Brisebois said he would be talking to Dumba's camp about an extension. However, well before the start of free agency, Brisebois seemingly changed his mind and told the press he would not be returning. On July 1st, he signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Stars worth $3.8m.
Haydn Fleury (UFA) - Winnipeg Jets
Defenseman Haydn Fleury signed a two-year deal with the Lightning in 2022 and provided the team with some defensive depth. He was often utilized as the seventh defenseman in a 7/11 situation or he slotted into the lineup when someone was injured. He was seemingly hitting his stride as the season went on, but he unfortunately sustained a major injury after colliding with referee, Steve Kozari, during a game against the Penguins in April. He finished his season with the Lightning with 1 goal and 4 assists in 24 games.
The Winnipeg Jets signed Fleury to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000. More likely than not, most of his season will be spent with the Manitoba Moose since the Jets already have several defensemen. However, he's a really good depth piece who may prove to be a valuable asset over some of their other bottom-tier defensemen. Should he crack the NHL roster, he'll reunite with ex-Lightning teammate Vladislav Namestnikov who he played with during the 22-23 season.
Tyler Motte (UFA) - Detroit Red Wings
Tyler Motte was signed by the Lightning last summer after Josh Archibald stepped away from the NHL. In 69 games with Tampa Bay, he scored 6 goals and notched 3 assists. Where he lacked in offense, however, he more than made up for in defense. He was a speedy forechecker and provided the Bolts with the gritty bottom six player they needed to bolster the lineup. Opposing offense took a big hit whenever Motte was on the ice, which is exactly what the Lightning needed to happen this year. He dealt with a few injuries this season, but he managed to return in time for playoffs, where he scored in game three. Lots of Tampa fans were hoping he would return, but he ultimately signed a one-year contract worth $800,000 AAV with the Detroit Red Wings.
Steven Stamkos (UFA) - Nashville Predators
In one of the biggest shocks of the offseason so far, captain Steven Stamkos signed a four-year $8m contract with the Nashville Predators. This came as a massive surprise to most Lightning fans who expected the captain to retire in Bolts blue. Stamkos had 81 points (40 goals, 41 assists) in 82 games this year, nearly a point-per-game pace, and a -21, the worst on the team. He was a key piece to the powerplay, which was the best in the league this season, and typically played on the first or second line. Unfortunately, his five-on-five and defensive aspects to his game showed signs of decline this year, which was likely part of the reason why Brisebois elected not to re-sign the long-time Bolt.
While it's hard to say exactly what happened during negotiations, rumors from insiders like Pierre LeBrun were less than ideal. The rumored asking price from Stamkos' team was somewhere around the $4m-$5m range while the Lightning supposedly refused to move off of a $3m eight-year deal. According to Elliotte Friedman, somewhere along the way (perhaps when Brisebois refused to re-sign Stamkos a year before his contract ended like his fellow teammates), the relationship between Stamkos and Brisebois reportedly "ruptured," and Stamkos moved along to free agency.
Lots of fans are okay with letting Stamkos go due to his game already showing signs of decline, however, a great deal of fans are rather upset with how everything went down. Regardless, it will be weird for fans around the league to see Stamkos sporting Predators gold next season.
"My guess is [the Lightning offered] $3 million or so over eight years. But that's not going to cut it. I would imagine Newport Sports would want something closer to $4 million to $5 million depending on how long the term is." - Pierre LeBrun via The Athletic
Stamkos will reunite with ex-Lightning teammates Luke Schenn and Jonathan Marchessault. The latter signed with the Predators on July 1st on a five-year, $5.5m AAV contract and told the media that he called Stamkos beforehand to share his excitement.
Austin Watson (UFA) - Unsigned
Last October, the Lightning signed forward Austin Watson to a one-year, $776,000 contract. He ultimately only played 33 games for the team and scored 2 goals and notched 2 assists in the process. In 515 career NHL games, he has 60 goals, 58 assists, and 118 points. As previously mentioned, Watson didn't play a lot of games for the Lightning this year, mostly because he was a healthy scratch. More often than not, he was at the center of a brawl, especially whenever Tanner Jeannot was out. Aside from that, he didn't make any massive splashes on the ice, though he did have one of the better +/- ratings on the team at +2. Generally speaking, Watson was very middle of the pack. He didn't do anything particularly well (except fight), but he didn't do much poorly either. In a way, that's a good thing. It's certainly better than noticing him for his mistakes!
I'm not entirely sure whether the Lightning should re-sign him. On one hand, his point production is low, and he may not bring much of a defensive game to justify keeping him on the roster. On the other hand, the Lightning just lost one of their last tough/enforcer players (Jeannot) and may need some extra grit to keep other teams from walking all over them. He was one of the highest hitting players with 2.6 hits per game but took a lot of penalties (93 PIM, second highest on the team behind Mikey Eyssimont of all people). It may be worth considering a league minimum contract for Watson if there isn't another good enforcer on the market, but I see both sides of the situation.
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