One free agent every NHL team should sign this offseason
By C.L. Kohuss
Tampa Bay Lightning: Ian Cole, Defenseman
There is so much scoring depth on this team that it’s frightening. From Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos to Brayden Point and J.T. Miller, the Tampa Bay Lightning don’t need more offense.
One area they did struggle in though was on the penalty kill. We already mentioned a couple of times how largely the Penguins’ penalty kill struggled once Ian Cole was traded away. And there were a few teams that wanted him before he was sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets. So he would add pretty good value to a club that ranked 28th when down a man. He also won’t break the bank at $2 million to $3 million and could slot in as a bottom-pairing defenseman with five spots already under contract.
With J.T. Miller a restricted free agent and having put up 58 points between Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers, the Lightning will need budget adds to help keep them contending. They only have $12 million in room, if the cap goes up. They also have backup goaltender Louis Domingue as a restricted free agent, or they could possibly look for an upgrade. Though again, money is a problem.
A player like Cole is a nice small add that pays dividends in the long run. He won’t give more offensive firepower, and he’s never going to win a Norris Trophy over Victor Hedman, but special teams can be the difference between winning a playoff series and losing one. At the moment, the Lightning are at 73 percent on the penalty kill through this postseason. That has to improve.