By Taylor Landau
The NHL's free agency period is fast approaching, which means all the "arm chair managers" are coming out of the woodwork to give their two cents on what each team should do. The Tampa Bay Lightning, in particular, have a bit of a problem on their hands with their current free agent situation. With two RFAs, six UFAs, and an incredibly limited amount of salary cap space to work with, the Lightning are going to have to work some magic to fill in their remaining lineup spots. Let's break down every current free agent from the 2022-2023 season with the Lightning and try to determine what the team might have in store for them.
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare (UFA)
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, who is the ninth French player to reach the NHL, has certainly had an interesting few years with the team. A worthy veteran presence, Bellemare is notably strong on faceoffs and the penalty kill, which makes him a strong asset to the Lightning. Typically a fourth-liner, Bellemare is a strong two-way player, and that proved to be important this season as the Lightning struggled with their defensive game.
He's a UFA this season, and it's hard to tell exactly what his next move will be. Most fans assumed following the team's first round exit that he would retire. However, Bellemare told the media that he hopes he's "done enough for the team to see value in me," but if not, "the sun will be up in the morning and my kids will be up in the morning too."
Keeping Bellemare around for the next year would be a solid choice. He's a good veteran presence that is essential to the PK and could provide decent leadership in the locker room. That being said, he's 38 years old, so the team may want to move onto some younger players (perhaps those in Syracuse) and try to develop some of their additional talent.
What Should Happen: The Lightning keep him on a cheap one-year deal if they don't have any stronger players with Bellemare's capabilities.
What I Think Will Happen: The Lightning move on to one of their younger players in Syracuse or sign a current NHLer on a cheap deal.
Ian Cole (UFA)
Ian Cole, who signed a one-year $3 million contract at the start of last season, is a bit of a controversial character among Bolts fans. Defensive play was one of the major problems the Lightning encountered this season, especially during the second half. Typically settling into the third defensive pairing, the 34-year-old defenseman finished the season with 3 goals, 14 assists, 17 points, and a +13 in 78 games.
Overall, Cole had a bit of an odd season. He started the season out really well, but about three months in, he started running into some issues. One of the main problems with Cole was that he couldn't stay out of the penalty box, and he finished the year with 61 total PIMs (5th on the team). Regardless of his penalty problems, the stats show that Cole surprisingly was a decent defenseman. According to ARHockeyStats on Twitter, Cole ranked in the 92nd percentile for defensive impact. On a struggling defensive team, Cole may be an important player that keeps his pair afloat.
With the Tampa Bay Lightning already struggling with their cap, re-signing Ian Cole may not be the best idea. If he asks for anything near his salary from this year, the team would be smart to move on and either develop their own talent or put the money towards a significant upgrade. Players like Nick Perbix and Darren Raddysh, while still needing some additional development, were good fits for the team and proved they deserved spots in the lineup. The team still has options in Haydn Fleury and Philippe Myers too if the team decides to pass on Cole.
What Should Happen: The Lightning move on from Cole and attempt to upgrade their defense.
What I Think Will Happen: The Lightning will move on from Cole and either upgrade their defense or call someone up from Syracuse.
Ross Colton (RFA)
Ross Colton made quite the name for himself when he scored the game-winning goal in Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final and led the Tampa Bay Lightning to victory. Since then, the 26-year-old forward settled into the lineup rotating between the bottom three lines (but mostly securing a spot on the third). He's a physical forward, and, before acquiring Tanner Jeannot, he led the team in hits. Colton finished up the season with 16 goals, 16 assists, and 32 points over 81 games with a -8.
It's hard to imagine a scenario where Colton sticks around with the Lightning for another season. Going into his fourth year in the NHL, it's more than likely that he'll be looking for a pay raise, and with the Lightning's already tight financial crunch, he may end up being a cap casualty. He'll also probably be looking to play a bigger role on the first or second line for a team as opposed to the third or fourth, which is where he's mostly resided with Tampa Bay. Since he's an RFA, the team may be able to leverage him to get something solid in return.
However, there's a possibility he agrees to sign a team-friendly deal if he likes playing with the Lightning enough and they want to keep him around. It would make sense; the team could keep a physical player who fits in well with the team and provides some solid support on the power play. He didn't break out offensively the way the team was probably hoping, but he's still a reliable forward with valuable skills to the Lightning.
What Should Happen: The Lightning sign Colton to a team-friendly deal and keep him around for a year or two.
What I Think Will Happen: Colton becomes a cap casualty and signs with another team where he'll have a bigger role.
Brian Elliott (UFA)
Despite how his season ended, goaltender Brian Elliott was arguably the best backup for the Lightning since Andrei Vasilevskiy became the starter. This season, Elliott boasted a 12-8 record and a .891 save percentage. While some games were better than others, the 38-year-old goalie had a decent season that included a seven-game win streak at the start of the season and two shutouts.
It seems like Elliott played his final game towards the end of last season, and I don't necessarily mean with Tampa. While he hasn't announced anything yet, it seems pretty likely that Elliott is headed towards retirement. In that case, the Lightning will be in need of a new goalie, and it'll be interesting to see if they try to pick up a seasoned NHL player or if they try to develop their talent from Syracuse. 21-year-old Swedish goalie Hugo Alnefelt had a fantastic season in Syracuse this year, and the Lightning recently signed 28-year-old Canadian goaltender Matt Tomkins to a two-year two-way contract.
In the off chance that Elliott decides not to retire, it's possible the Lightning sign him for another year and rotate between him and either Alnefelt or Tomkins to try and get them NHL ready. As much as it pains me to say, however, I think it may be time to move on from Elliott. As the team's core gets older, the Lightning should start focusing on developing or bringing in some younger talent, which could come in the form of Alnefelt or Tomkins in regards to the goalie situation. Some seasoned veteran goalies on the free agency market this year include Cam Talbot, Alex Stalock, James Reimer, and Semyon Varlamov, but some of them may have steeper price tags than others.
What Should Happen: Elliott retires and Alnefelt or Tomkins takes over as the backup.
What I Think Will Happen: The Lightning sign an NHL goalie from free agency or the team develops their talent from Syracuse.
Mikey Eyssimont (UFA; Signed)
Well, this one is pretty easy. Mikey Eyssimont was acquired by the Lightning before the trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Vladislav Namestnikov. The 26-year-old forward typically played on the fourth line and went in and out of the lineup while the team tried to figure out which lines worked best before the playoffs.
Eyssimont was a pretty solid fourth liner for the last bit of the season, and they didn't have to give up a whole lot to get him. Prior to the end of the season, I thought it would be best for the Lightning to re-sign him on a cheap deal, and that's exactly what they did. His two-year $1.6m contract sets him up to be a good bottom six player, and the fact that they were able to sign him for cheap considering their cap situation is a big plus.
What Happened: Mikey Eyssimont signed a two-year $1.6m contract on May 5, 2023.
Tanner Jeannot (RFA)
Tanner Jeannot was acquired by the Lightning before the trade deadline in a pretty massive exchange with the Nashville Predators. The Bolts sent four draft picks and defenseman Cal Foote in exchange for the gritty forward who was anticipated to play a big role in playoffs before unfortunately getting hurt. He finished the season with 6 goals and 12 assists.
In my personal opinion, Jeannot didn't exactly prove that he deserves a spot with the team. While he wasn't brought to the team to be an offense machine, it was disappointing to see that he only managed to score 1 goal and notch 3 assists after the trade deadline. If a manager gives up practically their entire draft class for the next two or three years, then I would think he expected the player to go above and beyond his assigned role. Lots of fans think he's going to be the next Brandon Hagel and have a breakout year next season. However, Jeannot's rookie season statistics versus this year's statistics show a very dramatic drop, regardless of which team he was on. Jeannot and Hagel are also very different players; Hagel is an offensive threat and Jeannot was brought in to be a "goon" type with his physical play. That being said, I think there are other players that can bring both physicality and offensive help that would be better suited for the team. I would personally argue in favor of the Lightning trading Jeannot for a better player.
However, I don't see the Lightning letting Jeannot go any time soon. After giving up so much to acquire him, the Lightning are almost definitely going to re-sign him. Nashville was supposedly in talks with Jeannot on a six-year deal before trading him, but I can't see the Lightning signing him for that long yet. I think it's more likely they give him a one- or two-year "prove it" deal for somewhere in the $1m - $2m range.
What Should Happen: The Lightning trade Jeannot away for a better player or to preserve cap space in order to sign somebody else.
What I Think Will Happen: Jeannot signs a "prove it" deal for a year or two.
Alex Killorn (UFA)
Alex Killorn, who is the longest tenured Bolt on the team right now, has always been a big presence in the Tampa Bay locker room. It's hard to imagine the team without the 33-year-old forward, but it's certainly a possibility as he heads into free agency this summer. Drafted in 2007, Killorn has spent his entire NHL career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he's gone on record saying he doesn't want to play anywhere else.
Having won two cups with the team while being a major contributor all year round, Killorn's price tag isn't going to be cheap. Daily Faceoff predicts his contract may look something like 4x$5.25m, and with the Lightning's current cap situation, they most likely won't be able to swing that. If this situation feels familiar, it's probably because of players like Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman who both loved playing in Tampa and contributed to the 2020 and 2021 cup wins, but ultimately left to play for other teams where they were paid higher salaries. As free agency approaches, it's looking more than likely that Killorn follows in their footsteps.
That being said, Killorn loves Tampa. As stated earlier, he said several times that he never wants to play anywhere else. In that case, he may end up taking a team-friendly deal to stick around for a little while longer. There are reports that the team already made a long-term lower-AAV contract offer to him, but whether he's passed on the Lightning's offer entirely or if they're still in talks remains to be seen.
What Should Happen: The Lightning sign Killorn to a long-term lower-AAV deal.
What I Think Will Happen: Killorn signs with another team for more money than the Lightning can offer him.
Corey Perry (UFA)
Corey Perry quickly went from "#1 Enemy" among bolts fans to a well-respected veteran when he signed with the team for two years in 2021. Unafraid to stir up some trouble on the ice, Perry has a reputation for being an agitator. But aside from his on-ice antics, Perry provides some decent offensive depth for the team, typically playing on the fourth line and getting time on the powerplay. He finished the 2022-2023 season with 12 goals, 13 assists, and 25 points.
It's no secret that Perry isn't the player he used to be, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's not a valuable asset either. When paired with the right players, Perry can have quite the offensive impact on the ice. A decent chunk of his goals this season came on the powerplay, so it's clear he gels well with the special teams units. While the School Bus Line didn't exactly work out this year, Perry still worked well with a variety of other players and was able to slide into any line he was asked.
However, he's 38 years old, probably nearing retirement, and already rumored to be hitting the free agent market this summer instead of signing with the Bolts. It would probably a better use of the team's time and money to develop some of their other talent or sign somebody new and young. Some potential players in Syracuse that could slide into Perry's spot include Cole Koepke, Alex Barré-Boulet, Rudolfs Balcers, or Gabriel Fortier, all forwards with NHL experience. While the team may miss some of his agitating antics, players like Maroon and Jeannot (assuming he's re-signed) could certainly make up for that in his absence.
What Should Happen: The Lightning move on from Corey Perry and bring up one of their players from Syracuse.
What I Think Will Happen: Corey Perry hits free agency and the Lightning either sign someone for cheap or bring up a forward from Syracuse.
What do you think the Lightning should do with their free agents? Let me know in the comments!
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