Grading the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Early Offseason Moves

Free agency on the NHL calendar is a go, and the Tampa Bay Lightning were hard at work from the jump. Pens have been put to paper on contracts, and trades have been made. Some of these are long-term commitments. Time for some early reactions that come with a letter grade. Each move from July 1 will get a letter grade from the perspective of how it positively impacted the Lightning.

Just a note. While I’ve highlighted players on two-way contracts before, I’m skipping them this time. There is a lot of ground to cover on the larger moves alone. If needed later, I’ll evaluate them.

John Carlson Signs 2 Years, $8.5 Million AAV

They got their replacement for Darren Raddysh. John Carlson comes with a similar cap hit. It’s not a cap hit I’m sitting well with, but at least it’s short-term and brings in a more proven player in relation to the cost.

His 60 points last season marked the fifth-most he’s had in a season and his most since he tallied 71 during the 2021-22 season. Having one-fourth of his scoring on the power play is an important note, since that was something the Lightning had to address. Depending on the season, he’s brought more offense to the table than defense, so we’ll see what the Lightning get from him.

From just the perspective of who they got, Carlson is a good addition. The cap hit is a bit of a sticking point for me, but I’ll probably overlook it more over time.

Grade: B+

Ilya Mikheyev Signs 4 Years, $3.85 Million AAV

This move locked up bottom-six depth for the next few years at a lower cap hit. It already counts for a small slice of the rising salary, but it will only get better as the cap increases.

Ilya Mikheyev is good for up to 20 goals and up to 35 points. That’s about what they would have gotten from Oliver Bjorkstrand at a discount. He’s the same age, so since the team isn’t getting any younger, the discount is good.

Another perk is that he’s received Selke votes the last two seasons. You can never have too many two-way forwards. He has a career 26.5% faceoff percentage, so I’m not sure he can address the need at center.

He helps preserve some offensive depth as the Lightning make some changes to the roster. Four years is a commitment, but at least it’s not expensive. Nothing crazy, but it’s a move that makes sense.

Grade: B

Jeffrey Viel, 5 Years, $2.5 Million AAV

This is one I’m still trying to wrap my head around. To Viel’s credit, his time making league minimum is over. But to hand over $12 million over five years to a 30-year-old forward with 99 games of experience over parts of five seasons is surprising, to say the least.

He provides depth at a low season-by-season cap hit, and he addresses the Lightning’s want to add more muscle to the roster. He had 121 hits last season over 45 games. That’s an 84-game pace of 225 hits.

According to Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley, Veil said he’s in a more confident place and would be able to make plays and contribute offensively, along with fighting. If that’s the case, then this would be a steal of a signing. However, this is a wait-and-see situation.

Gaining an enforcer checked off a box. The length of the contract knocks the grade a bit, but at least they didn’t throw the kitchen sink at him the same way they threw one at Tanner Jeannot.

Grade: C

Traded Nick Paul to Maple Leafs for Dennis Hildeby, Draft Picks 

Nick Paul will join Darren Raddysh as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. The Lightning traded him for goalie Dennis Hildeby, a fourth-round pick in 2027 and a third-round pick in 2028.

Fans will understandably be sad to see Paul go, but this is a good trade for the Lightning to make. The Lightning needed a backup goalie or even just another option beyond a backup goalie. I didn’t think they’d address it because Jonas Johansson has another year on his contract. But they got an upgrade who can be a new backup.