The Bolts
Johnny B. Good: Tyler Johnson and the Tampa Bay Lightning have avoided arbitration. The forward has re-signed with the Lightning for 7 more years. [Raw Charge]
#tblightning Yzerman on Johnson: “He’s in the prime of his career and we’re pleased to lock him up for a significant period of time.”
— Roger Mooney (@RogerMooney50) July 11, 2017
With Tyler Johnson signed, #tblightning Yzerman said he’s hopeful he can do the same with Ondrej Palat, whose arb hearing is July 25.
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) July 10, 2017
Johnson posted this up immediately following the announcement:
And a few people were excited:
#Bolts fans just a lil excited about johnny re-signing ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/1dWwo0dR6C
— Kinsey Janke (@kinseyjanke) July 10, 2017
Comparable contracts to Johnson’s include Alex Killorn’s:
Comparable Contracts
Tyler Johnson #Bolts 7 x $5MKillorn TBL 7 x $4.45M
Kadri TOR 6 x $4.5M
Smith FLA 5 x$5Mhttps://t.co/bShDI8GOul pic.twitter.com/rFJgk7SBHw— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 10, 2017
It’s kind of nice to have Stanley Cup news in the daily links. Chris Kunitz and family celebrate with cereal in the Stanley Cup: “The Kunitz household got some time with the Cup this week thanks to the 37-year-old forward’s role in the Pens’ title run, the fourth championship of Kunitz’s career. And, by all accounts, plenty of fun was had.” [CBS Sports]
Dotchin’s Compete Should Equal NHL Success: “Dotchin’s quick NHL success was unexpected by everyone sans himself but certainly appreciated by the Lightning and their fans. He was a well-regarded, two-way defenseman on the right side during his time playing in the Ontario Hockey League and with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League.” [THW]
Charged Up: Episode 3 – Erik Erlendsson guest-starred on this episode and discussed the Lightning’s free agency pickups and the contracts of their RFAs (FYI-this was recorded before the Johnson re-signing). [Raw Charge]
Some humor to go with your Tuesday morning coffee or tea:
Venn diagram of “People who think Drouin was a problem in Tampa” and “People who think the Girardi signing was a good one” pic.twitter.com/uwfKpN75vc
— Michael Stuart (@MikeStuartTLL) July 10, 2017
Top 25 Under 25
Top 25 Under 25, #20: Daniel Walcott is looking to make the most of his final ELC year — “Walcott has always been a versatile player with that healthy dose of grit that this organization seems to appreciate. He’s also always been a charismatic character guy, well-liked and looked up to wherever he has played.” [Raw Charge]
Top 25 Under 25, #21: Connor Ingram is the first goalie to make the list — “Is Ingram a good goaltender who still has some maturing to do to be mentally tough enough for international attention? Perhaps. When he returned to the Blazers from the WJC, Ingram brought the team to playoffs, and had an SV% of .946 before the Rockets were eliminated in six games. Whatever went wrong, it was not likely due to Ingram, who also earned the best regular-season SV% in the WHL.” [Raw Charge]
Top 25 Under 25, #22: Alexey Lipanov could be a gem for the Tampa Bay Lightning — “Lipanov has been lauded as an underrated player who could blossom into something special as he ages. He was among the youngest players drafted at this season’s draft and was still seen as a player who could’ve gone higher.” [Raw Charge]
The Crunch
The Syracuse Crunch announced their opponent for the 10/7 home opener: Their old rival, the Rochester Americans. With new management and coaching in place in both Buffalo and Rochester, this rivalry could see some new life this season. [Raw Charge]
Yanni Gourde joined Dan D’Uva “In The Booth” and looked back at the Syracuse Crunch reaching the finals in the 2017 Calder Cup series, and his new contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. [ESPN Syracuse]
Former player Jared Nightingale is running his hockey camp in the Syracuse area right now:
Great being back in @SyracuseCrunch country for @glakeshockey camp! Awesome turnout 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/N0DdEWxH2I
— Jared Nightingale (@JNighty) July 10, 2017
The Game
NHL Summer Buzz: Lindy Ruff hired as assistant by Rangers — “Lindy Ruff was named an assistant coach for the New York Rangers on Monday. Ruff, 57, coached the Dallas Stars the past four seasons. His 736 wins are fifth all-time among NHL coaches behind Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (851), Al Arbour (782) and Ken Hitchcock (781).” [NHL.com]
Improving Canadian dollar is very good news for the NHL: “And if it can nudge its way up to 80 cents, something that could very well happen, particularly if the Bank of Canada increases interest rates this week, that would be a very, very good thing for the NHL.” [THN]
Who is the Tom Brady of today’s NHL? “Someone like Wayne Gretzky might’ve been a logical choice if this group included all-time greats, because there’s long been no doubt that Brady ranks among the game’s legends. In today’s NHL, though, the Pens’ Crosby aligns with that notion.” [CBS Sports]
American Hockey League fans will soon have a new resource to go to for everything AHL:
ICYMI last night, I leaked a preview of what a portion of our new website will look like.
Inside AHL Hockey
Keeping You Ahead Of The Game pic.twitter.com/waZ61TrXeq— Inside AHL Hockey (@InsideAHLHockey) July 10, 2017
So…this…happened:
🚨 The Everblades invite NHL great Jaromir Jagr to play for the ‘Blades next season! #WeWantJagr
📋 Details: https://t.co/96YRkJmNn4 pic.twitter.com/r0b5G1NJiY
— Florida Everblades (@FL_Everblades) July 10, 2017
