If the Jake Guentzel signing was about bolstering the offense with a player in his prime, then the Zemgus Girgensons signing was about bringing a hard-forechecking defense from a veteran. The 30-year-old forward has played 688 games in the NHL, all with the Buffalo Sabres. Over that time span, he’s put up 89 goals and 99 assists while averaging 14:15 of ice time. The Lightning signed him to a three-year contract with an AAV of $850,000
With Tanner Jeannot off to Los Angeles the Lightning were looking to replace some physicality and they get that with Girgensons. While he might not have hit the back of the net all of that often, he has hit just about everything else on the ice as he leaves the Sabres with 1,239 career hits, second in franchise history.
While his overall ratings aren’t overwhelmingly impressive, the Bolts aren’t looking at the Latvian to be a superstar. They want him to provide steady defense and keep the goals at a minimum. His role is to bolster the bottom-six, likely on a line with Luke Glendening. After the signings today, the lines are probably looking a little something like:
Jake Guentzel – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel – Anthony Cirelli – Conor Sheary
Mikey Eyssimont – Nick Paul – Mitchell Chaffee
Zemgus Girgensons – Luke Glendening – Unknown
Girgensons ability to get the puck out of his own zone will be a great asset no matter where he ends up on the roster. Forwards who can successfully exit the puck from their zone help their team from getting pinned in their own zone for long periods of time.
Signing a 30-year-old fourth-liner to a three-year deal is a bit peculiar, but the AAV makes it palpable. If the deal doesn’t work out, it can either be buried in the minors or bought out without too much of an issue. While a bit long-term, it is a low-risk deal that could pay off for the Bolts.
