Tampa Bay Lightning re-signs Adam Erne to one-year, one-way deal
The Tampa Bay Lightning has sealed the deal with another one of their young forwards as the Bolts re-sign forward Adam Erne to a one-year, one-way contract.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been the center of attention in the National Hockey League over the last week or so. Speculation on where Ottawa Senators soon-to-be Free Agent Erik Karlsson is going to land has been the biggest topic of discussion and the Bolts have continued to be the reported front-runner.
Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman has not yet confirmed whether or not any of the rumors making their way around the hockey world are correct, but at the same time, he hasn’t outright denied them either. What he has done is continue on with business as usual.
In Yzerman’s case, this means making moves and signing deals. In fact, one of those aforementioned deals took place not so long ago. Earlier today, the Lightning announced in a Press Release on their official site they have re-signed 23-year-old winger Adam Erne to a one-year, one-way contract.
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
According to the Press Release, his new deal is worth an Average Annual Value of $800,000. This is on-par with his previous deal which expired at the end of last season.
Erne is one of the many players who have been patiently waiting for his opportunity to really shine on the Lightning’s main roster. Injuries have definitely played a factor here, but with Erne healthy and ready to go, the opportunity he has been waiting for could be right around the corner.
Last season, Adam Erne played in a total of 23 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In this amount of time, he was able to bring home three goals and one assist for a total of four points. It may not seem like much in black and white, but these are career-high numbers for Erne when it comes to the Bolts roster.
Erne put up some solid numbers in his time with the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, last season. The Connecticut native played in a total of 41 regular season games with the Crunch last season, in which time he was able to notch 12 goals and 14 assists for a total of 26 points.
As we mentioned previously, Adam Erne has been patiently waiting for his turn to make an impact on the Lightning roster. He was drafted in the 2nd Round (33rd Overall) by the Lightning in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Given his performance last season, there is a good chance Bolts fans will see more of him in the coming season.
There are still a couple of players in need of new contracts for the coming season. It’ll be interesting to see if these contracts are something Yzerman is looking to extend or something he is planning to use in order to pick up a much bigger piece of the puzzle. (i.e. Erik Karlsson)
As is par for the course when it comes to these kinds of situations, the Lightning is being very tight lipped. You kind of have to be unless you want another team to come in and sweep the rug out from under you with a slightly sweeter deal. As the season draws closer, surely, the bigger picture will begin to come into focus.
Next: Erik Karlsson Trade Rumor Recap
Until then, Lightning fans can continue to enjoy the summer weather and find other ways to spend their time while we all wait for hockey season to start up once again. There’s really only one question we have on our minds at the moment. Is it October yet?