With the NHL season officially under way, it’s time to look back and see where some old friends ended up now that the rosters have been finalized. It was a summer of try-out contracts for most of the players that left the team, but most of them have ended up as actual contracts.
Conor Sheary – New York Rangers
Sheary, who had his contract mutually terminated just prior to free agency, went through training camp on a PTO with the Rangers. On Monday, he turned that into a one-year, $775,000 deal with the Blue Shirts. His familiarity with new coach Mike Sullivan (the pair had some solid seasons together in Pittsburgh) helped his cause. He made his debut in New York’s 3-0 loss on the third line with Noah Laba and old friend Taylor Raddysh.
Luke Glendening – New Jersey Devils
Another veteran that had to play his way onto a team, Glendening also turned his PTO into a one-year, $775,000 contract. He’ll play a similar role on the Devils that he did with the Lightning as a fourth-line center. When talking to the press about the pressure of playing for a contract, Glendening mentioned that he’s been having to prove himself from the minute he left college, signing an AHL deal instead of a NHL one.
Cam Atkinson – Retired
The Cam Atkinson Reclamation Project never worked out in Tampa. While he was an positive influence in the clubhouse by all accounts, he was never able to recapture the on-ice performance that made him a 41-goal guy in Columbus. After 13 years of hockey, Atkinson is hanging up the skates as he signed a one-day contract with the Blue Jackets so that he can retire with the team. They will honor him with a Cam Atkinson Day on October 16.
Mikey Eyssimont- Boston Bruins
Traded to Seattle as part of the Yanni Gourde/Oliver Bjorkstrand deal, Eyssimont is back in the Lightning’s division as he signed a two-year deal with a $1.45 million AAV. It appears he’ll start the season on a line with Fraser Mitton and former Bolt Tanner Jeannot. They will try and answer the age-old question – can a hockey line finish a season with more penalty minutes than minutes played on ice?
Nick Perbix – Nashville Predators
The former Lightning defender priced his way out of Tampa and signed a July 1 deal with Nashville for two years and $5.5 million total. Based on early reports out of Smashville he’ll be on the Preds second pairing with Brady Skjei, although there is a chance, due to an injury to Nicholas Hague, Perbix could find himself playing his off-side on the top pairing with Roman Josi.
Best of luck to all of the above except for when they play the Lightning. In terms of the ovation they get during their video tributes in their first game back we’ll rank them this way (from longest to shortest). We’ve also included the date of their first game back in Tampa.
- Perbix – April 29
- Eyssimont – February 1 (The Stadium Series Game!)
- Glendening – October 11
- Sheary – November 12 (if Sheary ends up in the AHL and plays in Syracuse, he’ll be welcomed with a standing ovation)
