Just minutes after announcing that they’re parting ways with winger Josh Archibald, the Lightning has found his replacement as they announced the signing of winger Tyler Motte to a one-year, $800K contract.
The 28-year-old split last season between the Senators and Rangers and had a decent showing offensively with eight goals and 11 assists between the two teams; his assist and point totals were both career-bests. Of course, Motte isn’t known for his production but rather for being a gritty winger who can play all three forward positions in a pinch (though his time at center has been quite limited throughout his career) and kill penalties. Motte has played for five different teams over a seven-year NHL career, collecting 43 goals and 38 assists in 331 games so far.
This is the second summer in a row that he has had to wait until just before training camps got underway to land a new contract. Last year, he signed with Ottawa back on Sept. 14 but still landed himself a raise in the process, receiving a $1.35M agreement. Now, Motte’s price tag will be the lowest of his career although he’ll head into training camp with a guaranteed deal, something not too many unrestricted free agents have been able to land in recent weeks.
Motte will fill the role that Archibald was originally expected to fill following the trade of Pat Maroon to Minnesota. That should see him taking a regular shift on Tampa Bay’s fourth line while seeing some secondary minutes on the penalty kill as well although his track record suggests he’s better suited to move up onto the third line if injuries arise. It’s an odd turn of events with Archibald opting to step away but with Motte, GM Julien BriseBois has filled that spot rather well despite the minimal notice.
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