Tampa Bay Lightning re-signs Daniel Walcott to one-year contract
The Tampa Bay Lightning retained a piece of the defensive puzzle for the Syracuse Crunch as they re-signed defenseman Daniel Walcott to a one-year contract.
The Tampa Bay Lightning undoubtedly has one of the best developmental systems in the National Hockey League. Players from the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, have proven time and time again they are ready and waiting for their opportunity to shine on NHL ice.
Earlier this afternoon, the Tampa Bay Lightning ensured one of the Crunch’s defensemen will remain with the team for at least one more season. Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced in a Press Release the team has re-signed defenseman Daniel Walcott to a one-year contract.
Walcott first joined the Bolts Nation on June 1, 2015, when the Lightning acquired the rights to Walcott from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 7th Round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Ironically enough, the pick awarded to the Rangers was there’s, to begin with.
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The Lightning ended up with the pick used to acquire Walcott as a part of the trade which saw then-Lightning captain Martin St. Louis make his way to the Big Apple in exchange for now-alternate captain Ryan Callahan. It’s always interesting when things come full circle.
If you take away the one game Walcott played with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, he has played his entire professional career with the Syracuse Crunch. The 24-year-old defenseman would play his first season for the Crunch in 2015-16.
In the regular season, Walcott played in 62 of the Crunch’s 76-game season. In this amount of time, Walcott was able to pick up five goals and 11 assists for a total of 16 points. The 2017-18 season was his best season to date in terms of offensive stats.
The landscape here in the Bolts Nation may be changing soon. There are currently seven players on the Lightning roster who are set to become Free Agents. Of those seven players, only two of them are defensemen. This leaves little room for defensive advancement.
Given the strength of the Lightning’s developmental system, earning one of the spots (if any actually open) is going to be no easy task. There are a lot of players who are ready to make the jump, so it may be another season or two before Walcott truly gets his opportunity.
Next: Ryan Callahan To Miss Start Of Upcoming Season
The off-season is just starting to kick into full gear. Judging by the list of players set to become Free Agents next season, Daniel Walcott is just the first of many signings you can expect from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the weeks to come. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what Yzerman has in store for the Bolts Nation.