The Tampa Bay Lightning has seemingly moved on without veteran left wing Brenden Morrow, sparking the question what’s next for the 36 year old winger?
Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman said before the Free Agency Period began that he did not foresee a lot of moves being made in the off-season; however, he seems to be working pretty hard down at 401 Channelside Dr.
As soon as the door opened and the Free Agency period was officially underway, the Tampa Bay Lightning made their first move. Yzerman announced that the Lightning had signed hard-hitting Ottawa Senators right wing Erik Condra to a three-year deal.
Not long after that, Yzerman added free agent Jeff Tambellini to the mix. This is in addition to re-signing some of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s impending Free Agents like Philippe Paradis, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Luke Witkowski to varying contracts.
Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they added left wing Tye McGinn to the mix as well. When you take a step back and look at the moves that Lightning has made in the off-season, it leaves on to wonder what the next logical step is for veteran winger Brenden Morrow.
When Yzerman signed Condra to his new contract, he told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that the Lightning had no plans to bring back Brenden Morrow for another season. Unfortunately, this leaves Morrow in a rather difficult position.
While Morrow is by no means “over the hill,” he is getting to that stage in the game where some players begin to contemplate retirement. Given the fact that Morrow did express interest in returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning for another run at the Stanley Cup, it would seem as if he is not ready to hang up his skates just yet.
RELATED: Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Erik Condra to a Three-Year Deal
There are a couple of decisions that Morrow will have to make pretty soon. The first of those decisions is whether or not he wants to continue his career in the National Hockey League. If this is the path he chooses, the next quest will be finding a new home to finish out his career.
In a world like the National Hockey League that has seen so many changes over the course of the last season, there are plenty of teams out there who could use a veteran winger to help guide their team. While his knowledge of the game would be invaluable to any NHL locker room, his on-ice production is definitely not the same as it once was.
Last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Morrow played in a total of 70 games in the regular season. In that amount of time, he was able to score 3 goals and 5 assists for a total of 8 points. This put Morrow just above players like Nikita Nesterov and former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Radko Gudas, who both played significantly less games than Morrow.
At this point and time his future is largely unknown. The only thing we do know for sure is that his future does not include returning to the Tampa Bay Lightning next season.
RELATED: Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Jeff Tambellini to a One-Year Deal
There is still the very real possibility that he may find a new home for himself before the season starts and become the Lightning’s competition. At the same time, he may also find himself a position in the back office or coaching staff for a team. Any NHL team would be better for having him.
It may be some time before we know for sure what the future holds for the veteran winger, but at the end of the day, we here at Bolts By The Bay wish him the very best in wherever his hockey journey leads him. We hope to see him again one day, whether it be on the ice or behind the bench.
What do you think is the logical next step for Brenden Morrow? Do you think he will find a new home and continue his on-ice career, will he find a position behind the bench, or do you think he will hang up his skates once and for all? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Next: Tampa Bay Lightning: Who Will Be The Toughest Competition Next Season?
More from Bolts by the Bay
- Tampa Bay Lightning: Maxim Groshev Stands Out at Rookie Showcase
- Tampa Bay Lightning Atlantic Division Preview: Boston Bruins
- Do the Tampa Bay Lightning provide Tyler Motte with career stability?
- Mikhail Sergachev hints a renewed vigor for the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Four training camp battles to watch with the Tampa Bay Lightning