Peter Budaj signed to two-year extension with Tampa Bay Lightning

Update:

The expansion draft freeze is over, so this contract is done. Per the press release,

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed goaltender Peter Budaj to a two-year contract, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced Thursday.

Budaj, 6-foot-1, 196 pounds, has played in 357 career NHL games with the Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche. He has posted a record of 155-128-39 to go along with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. Budaj has also recorded 18 career shutouts.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that Peter Budaj has agreed to a two-year deal with an AAV of 1.025M/year.

His annual salary is particularly interesting. It is the exact salary cap hit that the Lightning can bury in the minor league by re-assigning him to the Syracuse Crunch. While it is unlikely that this will happen, it's a option in the event that the Lightning struggle to stay under the cap.

Two-year extension for TB netminder Petr Budaj, who has agreed to terms on a deal with an AAV of $1.025M.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 19, 2017

Budaj was part of the Bolts’ exposed list for the expansion draft — Tampa Bay chose to protect Andrei Vasilevskiy as its one protected netminder. The other exposed goalies currently in the system are Jaroslav Janus, Kristers Gudlevskis, and Mike McKenna.

Budaj made a career high of 1.4M with the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013-14 to 2014-15 seasons. The LA Kings signed him for a career low of 575,000 in 2015-16. Do his numbers warrant the pay increase for the next two seasons? He had a .917 SV% with the LA Kings in 53 games played, and after his trade to Tampa, dropped to a .898 in seven games played. Will his numbers increase after he has a solid year under his belt as Vasilevskiy’s backup?

What do you think?

Signing Peter Budaj to a two-year, 1.025M deal was: