The Tampa Bay Lightning should be making some additions to their roster this off-season. When looking at their group, it is fair to say that they could use a bit more forward depth. Due to this, they should consider the possibility of reuniting with an old friend, pending unrestricted free agent Cole Koepke.
During this past off-season, the Lightning decided to part ways with Koepke. This was after the 27-year-old winger spent most of the 2023-24 season in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, posting 20 goals, 39 points, and a plus-8 rating in 53 games. He also appeared in nine games with the Lightning that campaign, where he had two assists and 23 hits.
After becoming a free agent last summer, Koepke signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Boston Bruins. While with the Original Six club, the Two Harbors, Minnesota native broke up and proved he can be a solid bottom-six forward at the NHL level. In 73 games, the 6-foot-1 winger recorded new career highs with 10 goals, seven assists, 17 points, and 177 hits. With numbers like these, he would provide the Lightning's bottom six with a bit more secondary scoring and plenty of grit if brought back.
When looking at the Lightning's current lineup, Koepke could slot nicely on their fourth line or even work as an extra forward. In either scenario, the Lightning would be getting another solid energy player, which is never a bad thing for a playoff team to have.
On an affordable short-term deal, Koepke could be a nice player for the Lightning to bring back to Tampa. He showed this season with Boston that he can be impactful in a fourth-line role, so it will be interesting to see if the Lightning pursues the pending UFA if he hits the market on July 1 from here.
Lightning Miss Former Key Forward Big Time
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.
