Offseason plans, Isles will look to improve their top six while rework their goaltending including a extension for Sorokin, while Tampa will have plenty of decisions to make on their forward group this offseason.
New York Islanders
Significant Pending UFA:
LW,RW R.Panik 0-0-0 0GP
RW,LW P.Engvall 17-13-30 76GP
LW Z.Parise 21-13-34 82GP
RD S.Mayfield 6-18-24 82GP
LD P.Wotherspoon 0-1-1 12GP
G S.Varlamov 11-9-2 REC 2.70 GAA .913 SV%
G C.Schneider 0-0-0 REC 0.00 GAA .000 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
RW O.Wahlstrom 7-9-16 35GP
LD B.Murray 2-1-3 17GP
RD B.Wilde 0-0-0 0GP
Current draft capital for Islanders in 2023: 5
2RD NYI
4RD NYI
5RD NYI
6RD NYI
7RD NYI
What lead the Islanders to exit the 1st round of the playoffs this year: now the Islanders had a pretty decent season as it was up and down for them but thanks to a last minute gaffe by the Penguins they were able to sneak in as the last team to clinch a playoff spot and get wildcard 1 in the East, and drew Carolina in the first round, and although I was one of the few people to have them make round two, they wound up being bounced in the first round in 6 games by Carolina, and although the Islanders played well in round 1 there were definitely a few reasons as to why they bowed out in only round 1.
Number one would be the Islanders inability to score goals in the playoffs this year. Now I now that the Islanders are a more defensive team and rely heavily on Sorokin in Net and their solid D structure, but they have to have at least some offense to their game and it was almost a virtual now show in the playoffs. Now if you take away the Islanders scoring 4 goals in the final few minutes of game 3, the team only scored 11 goals throughout the rest of that series, so that would basically be 2 goals per game if you take away those 4 goals and as much as they have a sound defensive game, you would need to score at least more then 2 goals on average to win a playoff series, and I mean the teams two most lethal offensive weapons in Horvat and Barzal were both only able to put up 2 points each in the playoffs and only 5 players were able to put up at least 3 points and two were defenders while only Palmeri, Nelson and Barzal had two goals so this e are absolutely not great offensive numbers for the Islanders and I think that not having a offense that was able to score on a night to night based really did hurt the team, so in my eyes I do think the poor play on the offensive side of the puck was probably the biggest reason the Isles got the boot in round 1.
Next would be the fact that the Islanders couldn’t win in any tight games or in OT in the playoffs. Now expect for games 3 and 4 which were blowouts for both teams, the rest of the games were the type of games the Islanders are comfortable to play in and that is low scoring one goal hockey, and this is the type of games you would usually see the Islanders come away with the win in, but surprisingly in 3 of the 4 games the Islanders were the team that came away with the loss. Now the Islanders did win game 5 and were able to shut that one down and they weren’t able to overcome a 2 goal deficit in game 1, but they held a 1 goal lead which is the type of hockey they love to play in both game 2 and game 6 and had a chance to win those two games with leafs in the 3rd but unlike them they gave up the tying goal late in regulation and lost in overtime in both of the games so it was very disappointing for the Islanders and had they held on to those two leads they would’ve been able to probably make round two so the fact they weren’t able to win 1 goal Hockey games which is the type of game the like to play definitely contributed to them bowing out in round 1.
And Finally would be the Islanders poor play on special teams as the Islanders gave the Canes a ton of power plays in this series that counted up to 25 penalties throughout the series and even though the Islanders finished the series 80% on the PK and they only gave up 5 power play goals in the series, the ones they did give up were at inopportune times and really broke the Islanders backs, while the Islanders found themselves on the powerplay 18 times in the first round series against the canes which worked out to a average of 3 power plays per game and the grand total of PPG’s they were able to net was 1, they wound up getting one power play goal and had just over 5% on the power play and I think the inability to capitalize on the power play and the fact that they gave up inopportune Power play goals also contributed to the Islanders losing this series.
So in my opinion the fact the Islanders were not able to get much offense, they fact that they weren’t able to close out and lost 1 goal games which is the style of game they like to play, and the fact that special teams wasn’t so special for the Islanders all played a big role in the Islanders falling the Hurricanes in 6 games in round 1, but they were able to make it back to the playoffs this year and I think with a few tweaks this offseason the Islanders should be able to not only make the playoffs but maybe get past the 1st round next year as well.
5 ways of how I think the Islanders can improve in the offseason.
.1) Give Sorokin a long term extension.
Now we know the Islanders work on a very sound defensive system and they need a good goalie to help backstop their defence and over the past few seasons, Sorokin has emerged as a elite level top 10 goalie with the Islanders and has helped the Islanders stay in games they probably shouldn’t be in, and he has become a really important piece of the Islanders team, and that is why I believe that as soon as he is eligible on July 1st that the Islanders and Sorokin should work out a long term extension to keep him in NYI.
So in my opinion I think Sorokin is a top 10 goalie in the NHL and he means a lot to the Isles as he is the backbone of their defensive system so I think extending him is going to be high on the priority list for the Islanders. Now over the past couple of seasons Sorokin has showed his elite level of play, especially the last two seasons when he took over from Varlamov as the Isles starter and put up outstanding numbers as he had a over .920 SV% and a under 2.50 GAA and played in over 50 games in each of the two seasons and was a big reason as to why the Islanders made the playoffs this year. Now he is in the final year of his 3 year $4 Million dollar contract and is due for a big pay raise and I would expect him to probably sign for between 4-6 years at maybe a $7-8.5 Million dollar AAV and although they can’t sign him until July 1st when the new season kicks in, he is just too big a piece to that organization to not be signed before next year starts, so this is definitely something to keep their eye on as Sorokin is a huge piece to the Islanders organization and really helps keep the team in lots of games and I think the Isles would be stupid not to have him under contract before next year starts and it is something I think will get done this offseason.
.2) Add a top 6 scoring forward.
Now as we saw in the playoffs, even after adding some depth up front with guys like Engvall and Horvat, this team still couldn’t keep up with the Hurricanes offensively and was a big reason why they bowed out in round 1, so I think one of the things that has to be at the top of the to do list for the Islanders this offseason would be finding a top 6 goal scorer who can help the Islanders put the puck in the net a lot more next year.
Now the Islanders have a lot of solid forwards such as Lee, Barzal, Nelson, Walhstrom, Horvat etc, but no elite level goal scorers as I think a lot of people believe this team could sorely benefit from a top 6 goal scorer as they do have some good players but were again a bottom 10 team in goal scoring this past year, only putting up 231 goals which was good for 9th lowest in the NHL, so I think that the Islanders would not be afraid of trying to add a big time forward, even if it was via trade, so in my eyes the Isles could look to get a big time forward in a trade whether it be Nylander, DeBrincat or Boeser, while if the team wanted to go the free agent route and sign someone, I do wonder about guys like Killorn, Kane or Tarasenko as all of them can be extremely lethal goal scorers, so I don’t think it is too far out there to say that the Islanders need some major goal scoring help cause they didn’t have good scoring much in the regular season and definitely not in the playoffs so I think going out this offseason and acquiring a good top 6 forward who can work with either Barzal or Horvat on one of the top 2 lines would be a smart addition for the Islanders and I think would help that offense take strides next year.
.3) Move Bailey and one of their Center’s .
Now the Islanders do not have a abundance of cap space like other teams have, and they could definitely benefit from moving some cap out, and I think two names to probably watch out for as names the Islanders could move to clear cap would be middle six cet Josh Bailey and middle six Center Pageau.
Now for Bailey there has been a ton of talk dating back to the last couple of years that the Islanders would like to move on from him, as he hasn’t been producing at a high level these past few seasons and and although he did have a decent 44 point in 74 games during the 21-22 season, he also only had 25 points last year in 64 games and for most of the 2nd half of the year and the playoffs he was a healthy scratch and you can’t be a cap strapped team who is paying a healthy scratch $5 Million dollars, now it will be hard to get out of that contract as he is making $5 Million and is more of a bottom six forward at this point in his career, but I also think that with him being in the final year of his deal now it will be a lot easier to move then it has been in prior years and if need be I don’t think the Isles would be opposed to retaining some salary or moving a draft luck to get out of the deal and I would look at bottom dwellers like Chicago or Arizona to have interest but definitely Bailey will be a name to watch out for.
As will Pageau, now for Pageau he is a really good middle six Center for the Islanders and has really carved himself out a pretty nice role with the team, but after acquiring Horvat the Islanders now have 5 solid natural Center’s in Nelson, Horvat, Barzal, Pageau and Cizikas and while Cizikasis a good 4th line Center and Barzal and Horvat could be your 1-2 ouch down the middle, that would leave Nelson and Pageau as two natural Center’s as their 3C and they only need one, and with needing cap space to add in other areas I think Pageau becomes a trade chip. Now Pageau also makes $5 Million dollars on the nose but for the next three seasons and has actually been a solid point contributor these past few years as he had 39 points in the 21-22 season and hit the 40 point plateau for the first time with the Isles last year and I think on another team as either their 2nd or 3rd line Center, he could excel and put up around 40-50 points per year, so in my eyes with the amount of depth they have at Center I think Pageau becomes expendable and could easily be dealt in the offseason, so in my eyes I think Bailey and Pageau are both possibly trade candidates for NYI and names to watch out for this offseason, and let me know in the comments if you think there is anyone else the Isles should be moving.
.4) Add some young players to the lineup.
Now I also think that the Islanders could benefit from adding a couple more younger players to their lineup as they are a older and aging team and I think could benefit dearly from getting some more youth on that team.
Now the Islanders did have a couple of their younger players get some NHL time this year as Aho was a consistent 3rd pair NHL defensemen while they have guys like Holmstrom and Raty (before being dealt) get looks midway through the season in the forward group, and I think maybe adding some more youth to this team could do them good. Now on the defensive side the Islanders have a couple of decent options to play on the 3rd pair next year as 3rd pair D-Men Scott Mayfield is currently a pending UFA and if the Isles don’t sign him or don’t bring in another defensemen to replace him then they would have a spot on the 3rd pair open and I could see either Aho who is coming off of his first full NHL season, Bolduc who got a couple of games of NHL action under his belt this year and I think could be a good fit long term on the third pair or Robin Salo who has gotten a couple NHL stints over the past year and I think could excel on the teams 3rd pair, so in my eyes the Isles may have a opening on the defensive and at least one of Aho, Salo or Bolduc should be able to make the team, while on the forward group, following his first pro year, I think the Islanders have to at least give Dufour a look at the NHL level as the Islanders do lack some scoring prowess and Dufour had shown how lethal a scorer he can be and playing on line 3 I think he can do well, while I also think Holmstrom who came up midway through the season and showed some amazing promise should also be a lock to be on the Islanders roster next year as I think he looked really good and could help them in their top 9, so in my eyes I think that anyone of Salo, Aho, Bolduc, Dufour or Holmstrom should make the NHL roster next year for the Islanders and I think if they can continue to add some more youth to the aging core I think they would be in a much better position next year.
.5) Find a backup goalie for Sorokin.
And finally as i talked about above I think the Islanders should seriously try and sign Sorokin as he is a elite level goalie and a big part of that team, but backup Varlamov is actually a pending UFA and has been a solid backup the past few years, so if they lose him to free agency this offseason the may need to find a new goalie who can be Sorokin’s backup.
Now the Islanders have a solid starting goalie in Sorokin who can start 50-60 games a season which means that the Islanders don’t necessarily need to find a goalie who is more of a tandem goalie which is what some teams have, but they could use a goalie who is more suited to the backup role. Now I also wouldn’t rule out them trying to bring back Varlamov to be their backup, as he has worked over the past couple of years mentoring Sorokin and I think the Isles could try and bring him back, but I also think there is a chance that they go in a different direction and try and bring in a different goalie. Now they are a few on the trade market and I think that maybe Comrie in Buffalo, Vladar in Calgary or Murray in Toronto could be decent backups for the Islanders while they could also look to free agency to bring in a new goalie and if they were I would think that maybe Brossoit, Raanta or Jones could be a decent backup with the Islanders behind Sorokin next year, but I think one thing is definitely for sure and that is if Varlamov winds up leaving, the Isles will need a new backup goalie for next year and whether it is via trade or free agency, it is a situation we will need to watch over the next little while.
So in my opinion if the Islanders can get a new top six forward who will help the offence, move on from Bailey and maybe Pageau to get some draft capital and clear cap space, then get a bit young by adding some more youth to their team and then extend Sorokin on a long term deal while finding a backup for Sorokin for next year and I think if the Islanders do that and are able to improve this team just a tad this offseason I wouldn’t be too surprised if they were able to once again be in the playoffs next year and maybe even make it past round 1, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the comments as to what you think the Islanders should do in the offseason to improve for next year.
If you liked this blog post, then check out my YouTube video on the Islanders offseason here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H8iE61r7W40&t=1508s
Tampa Bay Lightning
Significant Pending UFA:
RW,LW A.Killorn 27-37-64 82GP
RW C.Perry 12-13-25 81GP
C,LW P.E Bellemare 4-9-13 73GP
C G.Smith 0-0-0 0GP
LD/RD I.Cole 3-14-17 78GP
LD S.Day 0-0-0 0GP
G B.Elliott 12-8-2 REC 3.40 GAA .891 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
LW,C R.Colton 16-16-32 81GP
RW,LW T.Jeannot 6-12-18 76GP
LW,RW R.Balcers 3-2-5 17GP
LW G.Fortier 0-0-0 1GP
LW,RW C.Koepke 1-0-1 17GP
Current draft capital for Lightning in 2023: 3
6RD TB
7RD ANA, TB
What lead the Lightning to exit the 1st round of the playoffs this year: Now Tampa did not have a overly fantastic regular season this year as the Lightning were 3rd in the Atlantic for the 2nd straight year, but unlike 21-22 when they were 5 back of 2nd and hit 110 points, they wound up finishing with a mere 98 points and were 13 points back of the Leafs for 2nd while they only finished 7 ahead of missing the playoffs so they definitely had a bit of a down year and still played quite hard in round 1 against Toronto but would up falling in 6 games, so there were a few things I think went wrong for the Bolts that made them lose in round 1 to the Maple Leafs.
Now in my opinion I think the first and most likely reason the Bolts were eliminated was the fact that they were probably pretty fatigued as one has to remember this core group has been together the past few seasons and they won back to back Stanley Cups before losing last year against Colorado in the Final so they have had very little time for rest over the past couple of years playing into summer, and I think that took a physical and mental toll on them because even though they have had much success over the past few years they haven’t had much time to recover in the offseason so the fact they looked a bit slower then the Leafs is expected and although they weren’t able to make it past round 1 this year, they will get a much needed rest and should come back stronger next year, so fatigue from making the Final the past 3 years really took a toll on the Bolts and was for use one of the reasons the Bolts saw their demise at the Maple Leafs hands.
Next would be the fact that Vasilevskiy didn’t look like his normal self in these playoffs. Now I know that Vasilevskiy is a good goalie in the regular season, but he goes to another level when he enters the playoffs and I think it takes a lot for teams to put pucks past him in the playoffs and in the Bolts 3 Cup runs he had been nearly unbeatable as in the two years they won the Cup he had a identical GAA of 1.90 and had a SV% of above .925 in each of those years, but then had a tad bit worse numbers last year when they lost in the finals only putting up a .922 SV% and a 2.54 GAA, but this year his numbers were awful as he only had a .875 SV% and a 3.56 GAA in the 6 game series against Toronto and gave up 23 goals in those 6 games, so unlike the past couple of years when Vasilevskiy was a brick wall and teams couldn’t find ways to beat him, the Leafs were able to find his weak points and expose them and getting picks past Vasilevskiy was a huge reason the Leafs went through to round two and why the Bolts bowed out this year in round 1.
And lastly would be the fact that the Bolts were banged up and missing two key guys they lost in the offseason. Now the Bolts dealt with a couple of bad injuries these playoffs as Hedman missed a game due to a injury and wasn’t 100% for games 3-6, Michael Eyssimont and Tanner Jeannot who were the teams two deadline acquisition only played in 3 games each due to injuries and especially in the case of Jeannot who was supposed to round out the top 9, not having him in the lineup was a big blow, while top 4 defender Erik Cernak left game 1 and wasn’t back at all in the series for the Bolts and that was probably the biggest loss of all to the team, and on top of that they didn’t have solid veterans Palat and McDonagh this year like they had in years passed, so it was another blow to their team as Palat was a solid top 6 forward and McDonagh was a good top 4 defender and not having those two in the lineup really did hurt the Bolts in this series as well and was another contributing factor to the Bolts Bowing out in round 1.
So in my eyes the play that wasn’t all to great from Vasilevskiy, the fatigue the team was dealing with after 3 straight runs to the cup final, and the fact they lost guys like Jeannot and Cernak to injury and Hedman and Point weren’t 100%, while also not having Palat or McDonagh after losing them in free agency were the biggest reasons in my opinion that the Bolts left in the 1st round this season, but I don’t think they are too far away from making deep runs again in the next few seasons, so if they can make a few tweaks to the team I think they could do better next year.
5 Ways of how I think the Bolts can improve in the offseason.
.1) Consider giving Stamkos a extension.
Now one of the biggest names in Tampa is Stamkos who has been a very good captain and solid point producer his entire career with Tampa, but with Stamkos now entering the final year of his contract, I think the Lightning should try to extend him on another longer term deal when he is eligible for it on July 1st.
Now the Bolts do have some other business to take care of this offseason that may be a bit more important then this, but I would have to think that extending their captain beyond next season would be a priority for the Lightning. Now Stamkos has been with the Bolts his entire career and has been a driving force in the top 6 for the Lightning, and there was some concern before he signed his current contract that he was going to free agency, but the two sides were able to workout a 8 year contract with a AAV of $8.5 Million dollars and that has been a steal for the Lightning up to this point. Now Stamkos has been a really productive player there as he has hit 90 points or more on multiple occasions and even hit the 100 mark for the first time in his career 2 seasons ago, and I don’t think the Bolts even want to risk losing their captain and a integral part of their team, so I wouldn’t be too surprised if they were to try and extend him this offseason, now given the bad cap space the team has I think that maybe Stamkos would take somewhat of a cheaper contract to remain in Tampa even though the cap is going up next year, and he is also 33 years old so I am not sure the Bolts would want to go max term here, but I could see a Stamkos extension to maybe work out to like a 4-5 year deal that has a AAV of maybe $9-9.25 as it would be a slight bump in pay but would still be behind a guy like Point on his AAV, and I think that sort of a deal could work out for both the Lightning and Stamkos, so I definitely feel that while it isn’t a guarantee, I could see the Bolts try to extend their Captain when he is eligible on July 1st, and I would love to hear how much you think a Stamkos deal would cost down in the comments.
.2) Sign both Jeannot and Colton, and try to sign Killorn to a reasonable deal.
Now the Lightning have some significant players they need to try and bring back in the offseason as middle six forwards Jeannot and Colton are RFA’s and need new deals while the Bolts will most likely try to bring Killorn back on as a affordable deal as they can.
Now first the Lightning have a bit of business to take care of on the RFA side of things, as both Colton and Jeannot need new deals. Now the Bolts don’t have much cap space to work with right now as they only have just over $8 Million dollars in cap space and that includes the $7.5 they can put on LTIR in the Seabrook contract, so they are going to be right up against the cap, but they should be able to sign both Jeannot and Colton with the cap space they have. Now first with Jeannot, following a great rookie year 2 years ago he definitely had a bit of a down year last year, only having 18 points in 76 games splitting time with the Preds and Bolts after having 41 points with Nashville in the 21-22 season, so definitely he had a off season, but he is still a solid middle six forward and I think the Bolts could do something like they did with Paul, which would be give him a 6-8 year extension that has a AAV between $2.5-3.5 Million and I think that would get the AAV down to a acceptable level for Tampa while giving security to Jeannot so in my eyes it would work both ways and I think that situation most likely plays out like that.
As for Colton I think he will be a bit harder to sign, because he has hit the 30 point mark and 15 goal mark in back to back years in Tampa and had been a pretty good offensive producer over the past couple of years and has arb rights as well, so there are some out their who think that Colton could get between $3-4 Million on a deal and it could lead him to free agency in a year or two, so that has lead some to think that maybe if the contract negotiations don’t go overly well then the Bolts may wind up moving him, but while that is a possibility I still think that they could come to terms on a extension for maybe a year or two where he could Re-up when the cap is higher, but definitely the Colton situation is most likely going to be the more interesting of the two and I would like to hear what you think happens to him down in the comments, and the other big contact they need to negotiate is with pending UFA Alex Killorn, now I think they will try to bring him back and some reports did say that the Bolts were offering a Nick Paul type deal to Killorn that would be a long term deal at a lower cap hit, but even though he has been a great player with the Lightning and grown into a lethal top 6 forward, he could probably get between $5-7 Million on the open market following his career year this season putting up 64 points and I think that would be too much money to pass up, so in my eyes I think Jeannot would be willing to take a Nick Paul type offer in Tampa, I think Colton could be dealt but would most likely sign a 2-3 year deal to remain with Tampa, while Killorn will most likely be gone because as much as the Bolts want to keep him, they just can’t pay him what he can get on the open market so that is what I think will happen with the 3 big contract situations the Bolts have this offseason.
.3) Bring in a backup goalie for Vasilevskiy.
Now the Bolts have had veteran goalie Brian Elliott be the backup in Tampa over the past couple of seasons and the Lightning could have a backup goalie like that because Vasilevskiy plus a majority of the games, but with Elliott now 38 and a Pending UFA and not coming off his greatest season, I think the Bolts may go in a different direction and nab a new starting goalie.
Now the new goalie doesn’t have to be a tandem goalie or someone who is looking for big money as the Bolts have Vasilevskiy as their number 1 and I don’t expect that to change anytime in the future, but I do think there could be a couple of goalies out there who are decent backups and could give Vasilevskiy a few nights off if need be and get him some rest so he is better prepared for the playoffs, now they do have some decent goalies in the system such as Alnefelt but I think he is more suited for a AHL role so I do think they will bring in someone external, and most likely via free agency as I don’t think there is a cheap enough backup goalie already signed for next year that could work with Tampa, so in my eyes if they don’t bring back Elliott then I think they would look at free agency to get a new backup goalie, and I would look at Halak who backed up Shesterkin last year, Riitich who backed up Hellebuyck or Griess who backed up Binnington as possible options for the Lightning as all 3 goalies probably would take much more then $1 Million on a 1 year deal to backup Vasilevskiy and all have showed over the past few years that they can give a team a solid 15-20 games of action and rest some of the starters, so in my eyes if Elliott is not back then the Bolts will have to look for a cheap goalie who can backup Vasilevskiy next year and one of those three guys I mentioned a live would in my opinion be a prime target for the Lightning and it will be something to keep our eyes on over the next few weeks.
.4) Sign one or two cheap top 9 forwards.
Next would be the fact that if Killorn leaves via free agency or even guys like Perry or Bellemare leave as well, and they are forced to move Colton then that forward group would be decimated and I think the Bolts would then need to look for a couple of cheap top 9 forwards who they can use to fill out their roster.
Now as I said before the Bolts only have jus over $8 Million in cap space and if they were to sign Jeannot and possibly Colton then it would take up a majority of their cap and although they could maybe move on from one or two cheaper deals to clear some more cap space, they would still have not a ton to work with, so I feel that with the team most likely losing Killorn to free agency and needing a couple of top 9 forwards to round out their middle six, I think they could be looking to get a couple of cheaper options, now if they were to go the trade route then I could see them try to get someone who doesn’t have too high of a cap hit and is signed for the next couple of years like maybe Barabanov or Kubalik who both have 1 year left on their deal and make a $2.5 Million dollar cap hit and if their current teams retained salary then they could probably make it work while another guy would possibly be Trenin in Nashville who will also enter the final year of his deal at a reasonable $1.7 Million dollar cap hit, or if they were to go the free agency route then I would look at Dadonov, Johnsson or Engvall as all have shown glimpses of being solid middle six wingers but haven’t had the best of seasons this year and could come in at a cheaper contract that could definitely help out the Bolts, so in my opinion with the Bolts most likely losing another key top 6 forward in Killorn they will most likely need to add some bargain deals and whether they look to someone in free agency or someone via trade I think they are going to have to add at least one, if not a couple top 9 forwards who are not on to bad of a contract and I would like to know who you think would be a good target for them.
.5) Give some young guys a chance on the forward group.
And lastly here, as we talked about the Bolts are going to once again be a cap strapped team this year and will need bargain contracts to round out their team, but I think they could also look internally to fill out some of their roster spots as they do have a couple of young forwards I could see get into the roster next year.
Now the Bolts need bargain contracts and I think a ELC or deal close to league minimum that some of their young players have might be the best bargain contracts they could get, and with some players most likely departing, I could see the Bolts bring in a young player or two to play consistent NHL minutes next year. Now the most likely candidate in my opinion would be Alex Barre Boulet, who has played a grand total of 32 career NHL games and has 9 points in those games but has been a dominant force in the AHL these past few years and had even been over a point per game in 3 straight AHL seasons, so he seems like a very good candidate to make the Bolts roster next year and I could see him be a solid 3rd line winger with Tampa, next would be Cole Koepke, now Koepke had been playing in the NCAA up until the 21-22 season where he played in the AHL and had solid numbers and was able to make the team out of training camp for the Bolts last year and got into 17 NHL games and got his first career NHL goal before being sent to the minors and although I think he could remain in the AHL, I could also see him be a solid bottom six forward for Tampa, and lastly with Fortier who has played in 11 NHL games over the past few years and had a goal, but has also shown to be a good young forward in the AHL and I think could help them in the bottom six as well, so in my eyes the Bolts have a few options here to get some help on the forward group internally and if they can get either one of Barré-Boulet, Koepke or Fortier to have a pretty good bottoms six role with the team next year then I think the team will be better off and look good next year.
So in my opinion if the Bolts can re-sign Jeannot and maybe Colton, bring in a couple of cheap top 9 forwards and give some of their young players a shot as well next year, then find a new backup goalie for Vasilevskiy and maybe extend captain Stamkos when eligible and I think if they were able to do all of this this offseason and were set up for next year, I think they would once again be able to challenge for a playoff spot and although I wouldn’t call it a guarantee they make it, I would still be surprised if they didn’t and if they can keep most of their team together I think they should put up a show again next year and maybe make it pay round 1.
And if you like this blog post, then check out my YouTube video about Tampa Bay’s offseason right here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Emh1zJ1cE
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