Lightning Sign Kole Lind To PTO

The Tampa Bay Lightning are adding some forward depth for training camp. According to a team announcement, the Lightning signed Kole Lind to a professional tryout agreement.

It’s been some time since Lind, 27, has been afforded any opportunity in the NHL. The Shaunavon, SK, native was drafted with the 33rd overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He was quite productive in his final two years with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, scoring 69 goals and 182 points in 128 games with a +60 rating.

Following the end of his major junior career, Lind moved to central New York to begin his professional career with the Utica Comets, then the AHL affiliate of the Canucks. He played in six games for the Comets to close out the 2017-18 season, but enjoyed his rookie campaign the following year, finishing with five goals and 17 points in 51 games with a -10 rating.

Still, Lind became a quality secondary contributor fairly quickly. In his sophomore season, Lind finished sixth on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 44 points in 61 games. Unfortunately, due to circumstances largely out of his control, Lind failed to have a strong follow-up season. He lost some time to a broken nose, but still registered five goals and eight points in eight games with the Comets. Toward the end of the season, Vancouver promoted him to the taxi squad. He went scoreless in his first seven NHL contests.

That would be his final stint in the Canucks organization. A few months later, the Seattle Kraken selected Lind from Vancouver in the 2021 NHL expansion draft. He spent three years in the Kraken organization, scoring two goals and eight points in 24 games with a -1 rating, averaging 11:35 of ice time per game.

Fortunately, his lack of productivity in the NHL hasn’t translated to his AHL performance. Lind has quickly become one of the AHL’s most consistent scorers, registering 98 goals and 249 points in 328 games since the 2021-22 season.

Even outside the PTO, it will be challenging for Lind to make the Lightning’s opening night roster from training camp. Tampa Bay is perpetually looking for cheap depth, but the team already has other players who provide more value than Lind. Still, the Lightning could retain him for their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Syracuse tied for eighth in scoring last season, and adding Lind would only improve the quality of their offense.