Lightning target untapped potential in free-agent signings
The Lightning’s free-agency signings this week certainly won’t be considered flashy, but general manager Julien BriseBois strongly believes the acquisitions of forwards Pontus Holmberg and Jakob Pelletier continue his focus of making the Lightning a stronger team defensively and in 5-on-5 play, and ultimately a team more primed to win a Stanley Cup.
Both players became available late as restricted free agents who did not receive qualifying offers from their teams ahead of the June 30 deadline, and the Lightning saw them both as younger players with room to grow who can slot into the club’s bottom-six forward group.
“They’re young, they’re hard working and what made them available is not that they had qualified for free agency, so much as their previous clubs decided not to give them qualifying offers because of their potential arb cases,” BriseBois said Wednesday. “So those players don’t usually hit the market, and sometimes there’s more upside in that type of player.”
Holmberg, 26, likely will slot into the fourth-line center role left open by the departure of unrestricted free agent Luke Glendening, but he also can play the wing position. The Lightning signed Holmberg to a two-year deal worth an average annual value of $1.55 million.
“Heard nothing but good things from a lot of people that have gravitated around the Toronto organization,” BriseBois said. “Good teammate, works hard, is a pest, goes to the hard areas, takes pride in his work ethic and in being particularly competitive and feisty, draws penalties. Our model is to be a really good defensive team, a really good 5-on-5 team. He allows us to be an even better version of that model.”
“I like the makeup of our team,” he added. “... I think Holmberg makes us an even better defensive team on what was already a really strong defensive team. ”
Holmberg posted seven goals and 12 assists with a plus-4 ratio in 68 games with the Leafs last season, and he had 19 goals and 49 points over 159 career NHL games, offensive numbers that BriseBois thinks can improve in the Lightning organization.
“We think there’s still some untapped potential there that’s always appealing to us when we bring someone in,” BriseBois said. “Someone we think can fit a role, help us, and we think we can help them realize more of their potential, and they become even better players and help us even more. We think he’s one of those guys, (he’s) really good defensively already.”
Said Holmberg when asked what Lightning fans can expect from him: “They can expect hard work, obviously. I’m a pretty strong guy in the corner with the puck, I (have) good puck protection. I hope I can score a little bit more than last season. I know I can (do) more offensively, but my game starts with defense.”
BriseBois said that the addition of Holmberg will give the Lightning a bona-fide NHL forward to allow some of the team’s up-and-coming forward prospects, most notably former second-round draft pick Jack Finley, to continue their growth without the temptation of being rushed to the NHL.
“He’s an established guy,” BriseBois said of Holmberg. “So it takes a little bit of pressure off of our younger guys so they can keep growing without having to carry more of a load than they should right now, at the same time, without blocking their progression.”
“We’re going to give (Finley) every chance to see where he’s at,” BriseBois added. “From a development standpoint, I am fairly confident he’d already been in the NHL if he weren’t for the injuries he suffered over the years, and now he’s at a point where he’s going to be given that opportunity.”
The signing of Pelletier, a 24-year-old former first-round pick playing in his third organization in just more than five months, is another low-cost, high-upside pickup. After the Flyers did not make Pelletier a qualifying offer, the Lightning signed him to a three-year deal with a $842,000 average annual value at the NHL level. The first year of the deal is two way, and the last two years one way.
Before a late-January trade from Calgary to Philadelphia, Pelletier posted four goals, seven assists and a plus-10 in 24 games before the move to the Flyers slowed his momentum. He ended the season with seven goals, 12 assists and a plus-7 in 49 games.
“We think the person’s worth investing in, because he’s going to do everything on his end to get us a return on that investment,” BriseBois said. “And the skill-set is there because he’s skilled, he’s competitive, he can make plays. A really good personality and cerebral player, so keep working with him, try to get him to be a better version of what he is today. And if we do that, we’re going to end up getting a really good young NHL player at a really good contract.”
With their 20 one-way contracts plus top-prospect Conor Geekie, the Lightning have about $2.7 million in cap space, but that’s without players on two-way deals like Pelletier, Finley and defenseman Max Crozier.
“We have some cap space this year, so we will remain on the lookout between now and the start of the season, and between now and the trade deadline,” BriseBois said. “It’s a luxury we haven’t had in the past. It might also mean we can carry more players and there’s more internal competition for ice time, which is also healthy, but I don’t expect us to be very active.”
Related articles
Jalen Carter buried among under 25 elite despite being NFL's more dominant force
Could Ex-Patriots Star Fit With Eagles After Azeez Ojulari?
Titans QB Cam Ward disrespected via embarrassingly low Year One standards
Detroit Lions re-signing another special teams linebackerThe Latest
-1751567438-q80.webp "It’s not even training camp but Jameson Williams is looking like the Lions' WR1")
It’s not even training camp but Jameson Williams is looking like the Lions' WR1
Jameson Williams is entering a very critical portion of his career with the Detroit Lions this season. He's due for an extension soon, one that the team is well aware of, and Williams' performance in 2025 could make or break a huge ...
Steelers Remain As A Top Landing Spot For 2 Veteran Wide Receivers
The Pittsburgh Steelers recently traded veteran free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith. Despite the initial shock, the Steelers now find themselves with one of the best tight end rooms in the entire NFL, while ...
Fringe linebacker is (almost) guaranteed to make 49ers' 53-man roster
The San Francisco 49ers' additions in the opening wave of free agency last March barely made any splashes, and the majority of focus centered on the players the Niners lost rather than the ones they gained. Understandably. After all, San Francisco was cutting ...
Cubs Exec Makes Worrisome Statement on Kyle Tucker Contract ‘Limits’
Cubs star Kyle Tucker Fair to say that things have worked out nicely for the Chicago Cubs and their acquisition of outfielder Kyle Tucker, who was brought on from the Astros in a megadeal that saw Chicago give up infielder Isaac Paredes, outfielder Cam Smith and pitcher ...
Freddie Freeman Had Two Words for Clayton Kershaw After Reaching 3,000 Strikeouts
As Clayton Kershaw struck out Chicago White Sox third baseman Vinny Capra to close the top of the sixth inning and record the 3,000th strikeout of his career, the crowd at Dodger Stadium erupted in celebration. Kershaw became the 20th pitcher in ...
