The Tampa Bay Lightning have checked off one of the biggest boxes on their off-season to-do list.
The Lightning wasted no time in laying the groundwork for a fourth straight Stanley Cup final appearance on Friday morning, agreeing to terms with forward Nick Paul on a seven-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $3.15 million.
The inclusion of any trade protection or the contract’s salary structure has yet to be revealed.
The deal, which now ties Paul to Tampa Bay through the 2028-29 season, symbolizes just how well the partnership between Paul and the Lightning went in a short amount of time. Coming to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, Paul fit seamlessly into the Lightning roster and became one of their most impactful forwards, racking up 14 points in 21 games to finish out the regular season before chipping in nine points in 23 games throughout the team’s playoff run that landed two wins shy of a third straight Stanley Cup.
In fact, on a roster loaded with so many stars, it was arguably Paul who was the Lightning’s most effective forward in the Final, scoring crucial goals whenever called upon and fitting perfectly into the team’s dogged forechecking system.
While a seven-year deal is quite the commitment for a 27-year-old with 80 points in 248 career games, Paul clearly caught the eye of the Lightning brass during his time with the organization and became a priority for them to re-sign as soon as possible. Paul’s defensive metrics will ensure that he provides value to the Lightning in at least one zone moving forward, while his scoring may not reach the same heights it did during his initial late-season stretch.
Still, at just over $3 million, there are certainly worse bets to be made.
