One year. One-way contracts. That’s what gets Mike Lundin and Teddy Purcell back in the fold with the Lightning.
While both signings are good news, I find the Lundin signing to be the one with more weight. Last season, it was a struggle to get him re-signed with thanks to him being relegated to the AHL mid-way through the 2008-09 campaign.
In fact, at the time of his signing in September 2009, his agent gave a remark that sounded like Lundin would be history if he did not make the Lightning outright from camp:
“Mike signed a contract with the goal to play in Tampa,” Lundin’s agent Ben Hankinson said. “If it doesn’t work out, in Tampa Bay, then we are confident GM Brian Lawton will give him a chance with another NHL club.”
Mike didn’t make the club outright… But once he did break through to Tampa Bay in 2009-10, he showed everyone just why he belonged in the NHL. Playing 21:56 worth of ice-time a night and chipping in with 3 goals and 10 assists in 49 games.
Purcell is another story. Acquired as part of the Jeff Halpern trade with the Los Angeles Kings at the 2010 NHL Trade Deadline, he he showed flashes of his offensive prowess, and the lightning-quick hands that make him dangerous offensively.
He only totaled 9 points in 19 games (3 goals, 6 assists) with the Lightning, but the promise is there.
The official press release for the signings is below the fold.
LIGHTNING RE-SIGN D MIKE LUNDIN, RW TEDDY PURCELL
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed defenseman Mike Lundin and right wing Teddy Purcell to one-year contracts today, Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced.
Lundin, 6-foot-2, 197 pounds, has played in 155 career games with the Lightning, recording three goals and 21 points. He made the Lightning directly out of college at the University of Maine in 2007-08 and went on to represent Tampa Bay in the 2008 NHL YoungStars Game in Dallas. That season he led all Lightning defensemen, second overall on the team, in plus-minus rating with a plus-3.
A native of Burnsville, Minnesota, Lundin appeared in 49 games with Tampa Bay last season, recording three goals and 13 points. He set career highs for goals, assists, points, penalty minutes with 18, shots on goal with 42 and average time on ice with 21:56. Lundin ranked second on the team, first among defensemen, in average ice time and was fourth on the team in blocked shots with 86. He scored his first NHL goal on December 26 against Atlanta. He also played in 27 games with the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League, recording two goals and 16 points with a plus-1 rating. Despite playing a limited number of games, Lundin ranked fourth among Admirals defensemen in points.
Lundin, 25, played 160 games with Maine during his four-year career, recording 13 goals and 68 points. He also tallied eight power-play goals. During his senior year he played in all 40 games and scored six goals with a total of 20 points. He tied for the team lead in goals by a defenseman and ranked second in points. Lundin scored five power-play goals and ranked first on the team among defensemen, tied for sixth overall. He set career highs for goals, points and power-play goals.
Selected by Tampa Bay in the fourth-round, 102nd overall, at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Lundin will be attending his third training camp with the Lightning.
Purcell, 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, has played in 110 career NHL games with Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Kings. He has accumulated 11 goals and 34 points along with four power-play goals and two game-winning goals. Last season Purcell played in 41 games with the Kings, amassing three goals and six points before being acquired by Tampa Bay on March 3. At the time of the trade, he ranked seventh on Los Angeles in takeaways and averaged 11:21 in ice time per game.
After joining the Lightning Purcell skated in 19 games, recording three goals and nine points. He averaged 16:05 minutes per game, the highest of his career.
A native of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Purcell has played in 105 career AHL games, all with the Manchester Monarchs, registering 41 goals and 121 points. He also appeared in four Calder Cup Playoff games with Manchester in 2008, recording three assists. Purcell is a two-time AHL All-Star, named to both the 2008 and 2009 squads. He was named most-valuable player of the game in 2008 after recording a hat trick in regulation and the game-deciding goal in the shootout.
Before turning pro, Purcell played one season with the University of Maine, notching 16 goals and 43 points in 40 games during the 2006-07 season. In his one season he was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year as well as Inside College Hockey Rookie of the Year. Before that he played two seasons with Cedar Rapids of the USHL, recording 39 goals and 138 points in 113 contests while winning the 2005 Clark Cup Championship.
Purcell was originally undrafted and was signed by the Kings as a free agent on April 27, 2010.
