The Tampa Bay Lightning had a very quiet July 1st, signing just two players. You know they didn’t do much when their biggest signing of the day was Curtis McElhinney, who will likely be the team’s backup goaltender. This was expected given they tied the NHL-record for regular-season wins last season and don’t have much cap space and still have to resign Brayden Point, who won’t be cheap. Anyways, here’s a recap of their day and a short write-up on their new signings.
- Curtis McElhinney, G. McElhinney was signed to a two-year contract worth $2.6 million ($1.3 million AAV). In 33 games played for the Carolina Hurricanes last season, he had a 2.58 GAA and 0.912 SV%. He also played in five playoff games for the team, in which he had a 2.01 GAA and 0.930 SV%. Drafted in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames, McElhinney has played in 219 career NHL games, and he owns a 2.81 GAA and 0.909 SV%. The 36-year-old netminder is on his seventh team in 11 seasons.
- Luke Schenn, D. Schenn was signed to a one-year contract worth $700,000. In 26 NHL games split between the Vancouver Canucks this season, he recorded zero goals and two assists. Drafted fifth overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Schenn has appeared in 734 career NHL games during which time he has tallied 30 goals and 115 assists. The 29-year-old defenseman is on his seventh team over his 11 seasons career.
- Cedric Paquette, F. Paquette was re-signed to a two-year contract worth $3.3 million ($1.65 million AAV). In 80 games played with the Lightning this season, Paquette had 13 goals and four assists. He also played in four playoff games for the team, in which he tallied one goal and no assists. Drafted in the fourth round (101st overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning, Paquette has appeared in 316 career NHL games, producing 40 goals and 27 assists. The 25-year-old center has only played for the Lightning over his six season career.
- Carter Verhaeghe, F. Verhaeghe was re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000 at the NHL level. He has yet to play in an NHL game, but in 76 games in the AHL last season for the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, he produced at over a point per game pace with 34 goals and 48 assists. He continued that in the playoffs for the Crunch, where he had one goal and four assists in five playoff games. Drafted in the the third round (82nd overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the 23-year-old center has played for two other organizations besides the Lightning over his four-year professional career.
This post will be updated later with my thoughts on their day.
Hockey Addict 