Tampa Bay Lightning Report Cards: Forwards

#11 Tom Pyatt

My 2013/2014 Forecast: 20 points, but will struggle to get icetime.

GP: 27 G: 3 A: 4 Pts: 7 +/-: -2 PIM: 4

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The season was anything but smooth for Tom Pyatt. It started with a broken collar bone, and after that, he struggled to crack the Lightning lineup, despite playing very well on the nights he did get in. Pyatt was also reportedly available for trade as of mid-season.

When he was in the lineup, Pyatt played well. He provided versatility to the Lightning, and found himself everywhere from the second line to the fourth line depending on the team’s injury situation.

Moving forward, Pyatt appears to have been bumped from the lineup, at least for the moment, by upstart two-way rookie Cedric Paquette. This decision by coach Jon Cooper appears to come not from anything Pyatt’s done wrong, but simply because Paquette adds elements to the lineup (most notably: physicality) that the Lightning aren’t overflowing with.

Grade: B-

Looking Ahead: This could very well be Pyatt’s last season as a Bolt. As stated above, reports were flying earlier this year that GM Steve Yzerman was trying to move Pyatt. And a move, realistically, could be a great thing for Pyatt. Pyatt will be an unrestricted free agent as of July 1, and I doubt the Lightning will fight to keep him. With the Lightning, he’s a speedy forward on a team full of speedy forwards, but unfortunately for him, many of the other speedy forwards have an edge over him offensively. If Pyatt remains with the Bolts, it will likely be in the same role as this season, which will see him spending ample amounts of time in the pressbox and filling in admirably when called upon.