Bolts Give C-Tyler Johnson 3 yr Deal: Worth $10 Mil

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

 

From NHL.com

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=720462&navid=nhl:topheads

 

And from CBS Sports

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/24571144/tyler-johnson-signs-three-year-extension-with-lightning

 

Glad to hear this.

Johnson was one of the more dynamic young players NOT named Steven Stamkos that took to the ice for TB this past season.

 

At an annual salary of just over $3Mil per, this seems like a steal given the guy's skillset.

I did wonder why the Bolts didn't give him a longer contract, but with other such players like Ondrej Palat, Richard Panik, Alex Killorn, JT Brown, Andrej Sustr, Mark Barberio, Keith Aulie, and Anders Lindback ALL RFA's this off season, I suspect the Lightning are not wanting to over commit to any one player until they have a chance to evaluate who really will pan out long term vs. who will fizzle out sooner than later.

 

In Ondrej Palat's and Andrej Sustr's cases especially, I believe those two should be players the Bolts may prioritize and give contracts to next.

Palat's play rivaled Johnson's as far as value, despite the fact they tended to go about their business in different ways.

Alex Killorn (more a grinding checker with good hands around the front of the net) could be viewed as another priority as well.

 

Tyler Johnson will still be an RFA when this new contract ends and will only be 26 when it does.

Even before then, the Lightning should have a good enough idea who will comprise their 'core' and then give out contracts accordingly, taking into consideration players such as Steven Stamkos and Ben Bishop who will soon need new contracts over the next year and the year after that respectively.

 

Johnson worked real well with a variety of Bolts players and slid right in and did a fantastic job as the team's #1 center when Steven Stamkos went down with injury.

Many thought Valtteri Filppula would be moved from #2 to #1 due to that injury, but Johnson's play made it unnecessary to move Valtterri from his ideal number 2 center position.

 

Once Stamkos came back, even he was convinced to play wing (which he did for VLC before) in order to keep Johnson and Filppula in their respective center spots.

And that all worked out just fine.

So barring a complete drop off by Johnson next season, it looks like Stamkos will continue to play wing on the top line along with Tyler, and they will surely see much PP time together as well.

 

Welcome back to the fold, Tyler Johnson, a well earned new contract.

Though right now if you are the Lightning, and Johnson's production absolutely skyrockets during the course of the next three years, you best be prepared to possibly give Tyler Stamkos-like money after that.....

 

 

From hockeydb.com, Tyler Johnson career stats:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=107053

 

[yave1964]

Good contract, very nice player with a promising future. The Bolts along with my Wings are simply loaded with your talent, especially at forward. In fact, when you factor in Drouin coming aboard next year the Lightning are easily the most loaded team in the league with young forwards, not even close.2 of the 3 Calder finalists and Drouin. Wow.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Good contract, very nice player with a promising future. The Bolts along with my Wings are simply loaded with your talent, especially at forward. In fact, when you factor in Drouin coming aboard next year the Lightning are easily the most loaded team in the league with young forwards, not even close.2 of the 3 Calder finalists and Drouin. Wow.

 

Agreed, Yave.

 

I did add a poll if you care to voice your opinion on it there as well.

 

I voted Just About Right.

I almost went with "he got too little" given his performance and his history of similar performances as he played his way up the ranks.

But the NHL is an entirely different animal and I think he will need to now show he can be consistent at this level.

 

As I already mentioned in my previous post, if Johnson does show that, he can expect a major payday once this 3 yr contract ends.

 

This particular contract kinda protects both players, as Johnson isn't saddled with a ridiculously large amount that he may feel pressured to live up to at 23, and it protects the Bolts in case Johnson doesn't do much more than he has.

Although given the team's current talent, and that which is still coming (such as Drouin like you mentioned) I think he will flourish under Coach Cooper and the Bolts system.

Meaning that this 3 yr 10-mil thingie may turn into a steal of a contract.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Thread **BUMP***

 

Simply because the Bolts have a HELL of a deal with Tyler Johnson here.....and he can probably make a case for being UNDERPAID given what he has done in the post season so far.

 

A game winner or two in the Finals (or dare I say a SERIES WINNER), and he will certainly make the Lightning front office look like geniuses with a crystal ball.

 

Of course, with all this success, it will mean he will be looking at a MAJOR raise once this current deal ends at the end of the '16-'17 season.

 

Thus, the Bolts will need to make some smart decisions regarding other players, who they keep, who they trade, who they let walk...AND how much they pay other players if they want to keep talents like Tyler Johnson (and maybe his linemate Ondrej Palat) in the fold for many more seasons to come.

[ruxpin]

Any word on whether Tyler Johnson will play again this season?

He's been pretty much absent the past two weeks or so.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Any word on whether Tyler Johnson will play again this season?

He's been pretty much absent the past two weeks or so.

 

Well, tonight against Chicago would be a nice return to the score sheet for him.

[ruxpin]

Well, tonight against Chicago would be a nice return to the score sheet for him.

Yes, it would.

[jammer2]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  Panik is a Leaf, but point well taken, they have some expenses coming up, for sure. This is a very nice, very fair bridge deal....Homer would have given him a LOT more, but this is what a normal GM would have given a guy with loads of talent but no real leverage. It's fair, considering, and he will not get pissed and bolt...pun intended.....lol.