It’s been roughly 90 hours since the Tampa Bay Lightning used their first round pick to take Nolan Foote. Following Philip Tomasino, Connor McMichael, and Jakob Pelletier, Nolan Foote heard his name called as the 27th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Sitting next to brother Cal Foote, they both looked a bit surprised and then very happy that they would be in the same NHL organization together.
Now, the Lightning have signed the younger Foote to a three-year entry level contract. It also appears to make him the first from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft class to sign his ELC. Being a first round pick, it’s a pretty good bet that his contract is for the maximum amount allowed. The big question mark will be around exact performance bonuses, though many of these performance bonuses prove to be difficult to hit by players that aren’t exceptional talents.
Brother Cal Foote was the Lightning’s most recent previous first round pick. His entry level contract had a $92,500 signing bonus per season and an $832,500 base salary with a $70,000 minors salary. Cal’s contract also included $500,000 in performance bonuses each season. The signing bonus, base salary, and minors salary are pretty standard and I’d expect those to be the same. I’d also expect his performance bonuses to be in a similar range, but maybe slightly lower since Cal was the 14th overall selection while Nolan is the 27th.
Foote will almost certainly be spending next season in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets. He’ll also turn 19 at the end of November which will mean that he will be eligible to play in the AHL in 2020-21 if he doesn’t make the jump straight to the NHL. Foote has size and an NHL shot. He also pairs that with high end hockey sense and a great compete level. He’ll need to work on his speed and skating technique to really make the jump to the NHL.
For more in depth information on Nolan Foote, check out Loserpoint’s draft profile on him.
