Tampa Bay Lightning fans are definitely excited after hearing the news Lightning forward Ondrej Palat has been signed to a new five-year contract extension.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (and more specifically their fans) has been in a state of chaos ever since the doors opened in the Free Agency Period and teams could officially begin making deals with players across the league.
Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman had (and still kind of does) a tough journey ahead of him. There were a plethora of contracts in need of re-signing in addition to the need to fill -some of the holes in the Lightning’s defense before the upcoming 2017-18 season.
Needless to say, Yzerman’s pen must’ve been on fire, because he wasted no time in getting deeply involved in the wheeling and dealings across the league as soon as the opportunity arose. One after another, new players would make their way to the Bolts Nation.
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In the midst of all the chaos, there were two players in particular Lightning fans were anxious to see signed to new deals; partners-in-crime, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat.
Things got even more desperate for fans when not one, but both Johnson and Palat filed for arbitration. This opened the door to so many more questions. The good news is, those very same questions received answers very soon. It wasn’t long before the Lightning has signed Johnson to a seven-year contract extension.
With the ink on Johnson’s contract nearly dry, the new question was when/if the team would get Palat signed in time to avoid salary arbitration like his partner-in-crime. For many fans, it would be hard to imagine Tyler Johnson on the ice without his linemate Ondrej Palat. Thankfully, this is not something fans will have to deal with.
Earlier this afternoon, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they have re-signed Ondrej Palat to a five-year contract extension worth an Average Annual Value of $5.3 million. Needless to say, Lightning fans are over the moon about Palat’s re-signing.
Now, we will take a closer look at what some of the fans here in the Bolts Nation have to say about Ondrej Palat’s new deal and what this means for the Tampa Bay Lightning moving forward into the new season.
That Palat deal is beautiful
— Santi⚡️ (@TBLDiehard) July 14, 2017
Palat signs 5 year contract whoo hoo
— Thomas Schooley (@tommyboi1014) July 14, 2017
5 x 5.3 for Palat is another solid deal. Would've rather given him 7 years than Johnson, but that's okay.
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) July 14, 2017
Really happy with the Palat contract. Perfect term and AAV.
— GeoFitz (@GeoFitz4) July 14, 2017
Palat contract: pic.twitter.com/b9wW7Oem2v
— Bolts Jolts (@BoltsJolts) July 14, 2017
So glad to see Palat, Stammer, Heddy, and Tyler all locked up long term. #GoBolts
— Crooked Donnie (@vernslawyer) July 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/kinseyjanke/status/885970338751942660
The bottom line is this, re-signing Ondrej Palat is one of the best things that could’ve possibly happened for the Lightning in the Free Agency Period. Palat is a quality player who adds value to any combination he is placed with. This kind of player can command big dollars, and the Lightning got him for a very reasonable price.
Now, the fans here in the Bolts Nation can breathe a huge sigh of relief. Ondrej Palat will start the new season in a Tampa Bay Lightning uniform, and alongside his linemate, Tyler Johnson, he will help the Bolts navigate their way through the season in what will hopefully transform in a solid postseason run for the Bolts.
Next: Tampa Bay Lightning re-sign Ondrej Palat to 5-Year Extension
There is still plenty of time for the Tampa Bay Lightning to make moves in between now and the start of the new season, but we have a distinct feeling the Ondrej Palat signing was the last of the tidal waves to make their way through the Bolts Nation. Undeniably, it will be interesting to see how the remainder of the off-season plays out.