The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today, September 23rd, that they have resigned forward Brayden Point to a three-year contract extension that’s worth $20.25 million ($6.75 million AAV). Point appeared in 79 games for the Lightning last season, in which he produced 41 goals and 51 assists. He then played in all four of the team’s playoff games, through which he tallied one goal and zero assists. Drafted in the third round (79th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by Tampa Bay, Point has appeared in 229 career NHL games, over which he has recorded 91 goals and 107 assists. The 23-year-old center has only played for the Lightning organization over his three season NHL and slightly over three season professional career.
Full Contract Breakdown:
- 2019-20: $1 million salary, $4.25 million signing bonus.
- 2020-21: $2.5 million salary, $3.5 million signing bonus.
- 2021-22: $9 million salary, no signing bonus.
My Reaction: Much to my dismay, this deal is a steal for the Lightning. Point is one of the most impactful players on a stacked Lightning roster and getting him to sign at this reasonable of a cap hit, even on a bridge deal, was a great move by the Lightning. As a bit of a silver lining for me as a Bruins fan, this deal further proves how bad the Marner deal was for the Leafs, as every other RFA has since signed an incredibly team-friendly deal. Point’s a great skater who’s also outstanding defensively and sees the ice well. He’s also a sneaky player who’s shifty with the puck, and he’s a great playmaker. He’s a small player, listed at 5’10” and 160 pounds, but he’s scrappy and doesn’t play like it. He played with Nikita Kucherov for much of last season, and their line was nearly unstoppable when they were on their game, which was much more often than not. He plays against top line competition most of the time, which makes his defensive stats all the more impressive. Overall, this is an incredible deal for the Lightning, and even though his qualifying offer at the end of it will be $9 million, he’ll surely be worth it then as the cap will continue to rise and he’s already worth that now, so there’s no way the team regrets this deal. Lighting fans are rightfully very excited to finally have him back in the fold, even though he won’t be ready until mid to late October due to an offseason surgery (which also explains why they were in no rush to sign him). Once he is back though, he and Kucherov will surely be a treat for them to watch again.
Hockey Addict 