The Tampa Bay Lightning have multiple pending free agents heading into the off-season. When looking at them, it is clear that the Lightning have two players with expired contracts who they should work hard to re-sign. Let's discuss each of them now.
Gage Goncalves
Gage Goncalves was a nice story for the Lightning this season. After several strong seasons in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, Goncalves took that next step in his development and cemented himself a spot on Tampa Bay's roster in the process. In 60 regular-season games with Tampa this campaign, he had eight goals, 20 points, and a plus-7 rating. He also recorded one goal and four points in five playoff games.
Goncalves is a young forward who the Lightning should certainly be looking to re-sign this summer. The pending restricted free agent is becoming a key part of their roster, and his next contract should reflect that.
Yanni Gourde
Keeping Yanni Gourde around should be another top priority for the Lightning this off-season. The 33-year-old forward can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but the Lightning should work hard to not let that happen. He fit right back in after the Lightning brought him back from the Seattle Kraken at the trade deadline and strengthened their forward group.
Gourde played in 21 games with the Lightning following the trade, recording 14 points, 50 hits, and a plus-4 rating. He is the kind of player the Lightning missed when he was gone, so they cannot afford to lose him again.
