Breaking Down the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Unrestricted Free Agents
1. Alex Killorn
Like Ondrej Palat a year ago, another one of the Lightning’s key members is due for a new contract. Alex Killorn has been in the Lightning organization longer than any other player and after back-to-back career seasons, it is reasonable that this could be the end of his time in Tampa.
Killorn just finished a seven year contract worth $4.45 Million per year. He is more than deserving of a raise from that previous amount in the same way Palat was. If the Lightning are going to re-sign him, they probably cannot exceed that previous amount and probably would prefer to be quite a bit below that number, At 33 years old, Killorn does not have many pay days left. After expressing in the past that he wants to retire as a member of the Lightning, he may have to take a significant pay cut in order to do so.
Tampa Bay forwards ranked by scoring chances created per 60 in the first round.
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2. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
The 38 year old forward just finished the second year of his two-year contract with the Lightning. Bellemare probably still has something left in the tank to play in the NHL but it seems unlikely that he will do so in Tampa.
The Lightning would probably like to get a bit faster and younger in their bottom six and it is hard to see Bellemare being part of it going forward. During his time in Tampa he was great on face-offs and the penalty kill and provided important contributions that were not always on the scoresheet. He is probably in line to get another one year contract somewhere but it is unlikely it will be with the Lightning.
3. Corey Perry
Similar to Bellemare, Perry is in his upper 30’s and not the most fleet of foot. Despite the Lightning probably wanting to bring a new look to their bottom two lines, it is reasonable to think Perry could be back for another season.
Perry has already proven in recent years he is willing to take short term, cheap deals in another attempt to hoist the Stanley Cup for the second time. There are not many better options out there to give a one year, $1 million or less contract to in the NHL to round out your fourth line. If Perry would like to come back, the Lightning probably would probably offer him another year. Money will not be an issue.
4. Ian Cole
Ian Cole was brought in last summer to be a poor man’s replacement to try and somewhat fill the shoes left behind by Ryan McDonagh. Cole’s season certainly had some ups and downs but he ended up playing some decent minutes in the playoffs. If he is to come back to Tampa, it will have to be for less than the $3 million they gave him last summer.
With seven defensemen already under contract for next season, it is hard to see Cole being brought back for another year. If Tampa Bay is looking to improve their blue-line, they will probably look elsewhere unless Cole is willing to come back for quite a bit less.
5. Brian Elliott
Brian Elliott was a solid back-up behind Andrei Vasilevskiy in his two seasons in Tampa . Elliott signed two separate one-year contracts with the Lightning, each for less than $1 million per season. When you are already spending $9.5 million on a starter, there is not much money left to spend on a second net-minder. After going 23-12 in his two seasons here, there was not much to complain about with Elliott considering what he was being paid.
Towards the end of this past season, things did not go as well in his starts. In his final game of the season however, he was able to pitch a 32 save shutout. This game likely was his last in the Lightning crease and potentially his last in the NHL. At 38 years old, it is unlikely that Elliott comes back, especially with Tampa Bay likely hoping to somewhat decrease the workload for Vasilevskiy.
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