In a salary cap league, the Tampa Bay Lightning have naturally lost some former key players over the years through free agency. Blake Coleman was certainly among the notable players, as the 33-year-old forward was a solid part of the Lightning's back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.
After posting 14 goals, 31 points, and a plus-15 rating in 55 regular-season games with the Lightning in 2020-21, Coleman landed a six-year, $29.4 million contract with the Calgary Flames in free agency. Since then, he is undoubtedly a player who the Lightning have missed on their roster.
Coleman was such an impactful part of the Lightning's third line during their back-to-back Stanley Cup seasons. This is because the Plato, Texas native provided the Lightning with solid secondary scoring, strong defensive play, and plenty of grit. With this, he gave the Lightning a bit of everything, and he certainly played a role in their success during his two-year stint with the club.
Coleman has also continued to be an impactful player since joining the Flames. In 323 games with Calgary over four seasons, he has 79 goals, 164 points, 574 hits, and a plus-42 rating. This includes Coleman posting career highs with 30 goals and 54 points in 78 contests back in 2023-24. With this, it would have been awesome if the Bolts could have kept Coleman around, but they simply did not have the cap space to do so.
