One area that the Tampa Bay Lightning will likely aim to strengthen this summer is their forward group. They would benefit by adding more production in the bottom half of their lineup, and one player who would have the potential to give them that is Washington Capitals forward Andrew Mangiapane.
Mangiapane, 29, is a pending unrestricted free agent and will hit the market on July 1 if the Capitals do not re-sign him by then. If he is available this summer, he is a player the Lightning should seriously consider pursuing.
Mangiapane appeared in 81 regular-season games with the Capitals this season, posting 14 goals, 28 points, and 74 hits. Overall, it was a decent year for the 2015 sixth-round pick, but there is clear reason to believe that his offense could go up when looking at his previous campaigns.
In his previous three seasons before this one with the Calgary Flames, he posted at least 40 points in each of them. This included setting career highs with 35 goals and 55 points in 82 games with the Flames in 2021-22. With numbers like these, he could be a nice addition to the Lightning's top nine if he heats back up again.
On a short-term deal, Mangiapane could be a nice low-risk player for the Lightning to take a chance on. They need more secondary scoring, and Mangiapane gives just that when playing at his best. It will be intriguing to see if he ends up being on their radar this off-season from here, but the fit looks good on paper.
GM Julien BriseBois adds another depth forward or 2 in free agency
Assuming that a couple of UFAs walk, and that Goncalves signs a bridge deal, BriseBois should have some money to work with this summer. The top six is basically set in stone with Kucherov, Guentzel, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, and Bjorkstrand all returning, but, as mentioned before, the depth could really use some work.
The blue line looks to be in good shape, and with Jonas Johansson signing a two-year extension last week, so is the goaltending. What the front office will be doing is looking to get value from a player who can be signed for relatively cheap, which was the goal with Atkinson.
One intriguing name is Brandon Saad, who has been solid for the Vegas Golden Knights since having his contract terminated by the St. Louis Blues back in January. The two-time Stanley Cup champion managed a respectable 14 points in 29 games at the end of the season and has added another two assists in eight playoff games as the Knights battle the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2.
A couple of other relatively cheap offensive bargains could be the Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Robinson (32 points in 82 games), the Columbus Blue Jackets' Kevin Labanc (12 points in 34 games), and the Utah Mammoth's Michael Carcone (19 points in 53 games). Whatever route the front office decides to take, they'll be looking to add someone who can put the puck in the net for relatively cheap.
After a trio of discouraging playoff losses, it's clear that some things need to change in Tampa Bay. It'll be interesting to see what the roster looks like come October — and whether it can put the recent playoff demons in the rearview next spring.
