Tampa Bay Lightning Needs To Sign Keith Yandle
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s power play unit struggled for much of the season. This is why the Lightning could definitely use a defenseman like Keith Yandle.
The off-season is now in full swing for teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning, but just because the players aren’t out on the ice doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of work for the Lightning organization ahead. We are just weeks away from the 2016 NHL Draft where all 30 teams in the NHL will search for the next big thing and build the team of the future.
Not long after the NHL Draft, people like Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman will be hard at work attempting to navigate their way through the 2016 NHL Free Agency Period. Yzerman will have his hands full attempting to sign all the contracts that are currently up for renewal as well as looking for any deals he can strike to make the team more effective in the 2016-17 season.
As most Tampa Bay Lightning fans are unfortunately well aware of, one of the areas the Lightning needs to work on in the off-season is there defense. Yes, the Lightning have a quality top line consisting of Lightning defensemen Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman, but as we make our way through the defensive roster, there are a few gleaming holes that need to be filled before the next season.
Another issue the Tampa Bay Lightning dealt with for a good portion of the season was the lackluster performance of the power play unit. During the regular season, the Lightning scored 44 power play goals. This may sound like a lot, but when you pair it up against their 279 power play opportunities things kind of unravel before your eyes.
These abysmal numbers left the Tampa Bay Lightning in 28th place in the National Hockey League in terms of power play percentage. Even the next-to-last team in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers, finished higher than the Lightning in terms of power play percentage. If this doesn’t say something, we’re not sure what does.
The good news is, there is a player who is coming available on July 1st who would be able to fill not one but both of the holes the Tampa Bay Lightning needs to fill. On July 1st, New York Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle will become an unrestricted free agent. Why is he perfect for the Tampa Bay Lightning? Let’s discuss that a little further.
Not only is Yandle a quality defenseman, but he has a certain skill on the power play unit that seems unmatched by very few players on the Tampa Bay Lightning right now. Over the course of the last nine seasons, Yandle has brought home an average of 19.75 points on the power play. Last season, Yandle brought home 2 goals and 20 assists on the power play for a total of 22 power play points.
Overall, the 29-year-old Boston native brought home a total of five goals and 42 assists for a total of 47 points in the regular season. This placed him first place on the team in assists and fourth place in overall points. Had he posted those numbers as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, he would have been in the exact same position, first place on the team in assists and fourth in overall points.
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Keith Yandle also comes with one glaring bonus. His services can be had at a value price. Let’s look at it from this perspective. The Tampa Bay Lightning pays defenseman Matt Carle a base salary of $5.5 million a season for the next two seasons.
At this moment, Yandle is currently bringing home around $2.88 million. Even if the Lightning gave Yandle a modest boost, he would still be making half of what Carle makes with triple the performance. There is virtually nothing about this deal that doesn’t come up a win for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The only complication would be finding the salary to pay him.
Matt Carle has a modified no-trade clause in his contract, which means he holds many of the cards when it would come to a potential deal; however, if the money is right, we are sure he could be persuaded to make a move. Of course, there is always the possibility Yzerman could come up with a plan that doesn’t mean breaking up the working core of the team. All we can do at this point is sit back and watch as it all plays out.
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As we said before, there is nothing about this deal that doesn’t come up a win for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The question will be whether or not they will be able to snatch him up before one of the other hungry teams in the NHL puts a deal on the table Yandle simply can’t refuse. The one thing we know for sure is the next couple of weeks are going to be incredibly interesting for the Tampa Bay Lightning and their fans.