While news of things like Brayden Point’s extension, or the signing of Corey Perry, or the return of Zach Bogosian rightfully dominated the headlines as free agency opened for the Tampa Bay Lightning, GM Julien BriseBois also went to work on re-signing some of the restricted free agents that are expected to challenge for full-time roster spots in the near future. More specifically, each of Alex Barre-Boulet, Taylor Raddysh, and Boris Katchouk signed an identical contract worth $758,333 annually for three seasons.

So #tblightning GM Julien BriseBois got Alex Barre-Boulet, Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk to same three-year deals at $758,333 AAV. First year is two way, next two are one way. Just need to sign Ross Colton now

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) July 31, 2021

At first blush, the choice to give longer-term deals to three players who really haven’t proven anything to this point in their NHL careers might seem odd. Looking at these deals with the benefit of context, though, suggests that this is a subtly brilliant play from the Lightning GM.

The main thing to keep in mind is that the Lightning are pressed right up against the upper limit of the salary cap, and aren’t done with that problem after this offseason. With Mikhail Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli in need of new contracts in relatively short order, the “fun” for Tampa’s front office cap gymnasts will continue. Accordingly, there’s a clear need for cost-controlled contributors both in the immediate term, and especially in 2023-24 when new deals for those two will presumably kick in.

By getting longer-term contracts done with Barre-Boulet, Raddysh, and Katchouk, BriseBois has taken a low-dollar bet that these promising prospects can see their games translate into NHL production at a fraction of market cost. If his bet pays off, he'll have three NHL contributors under contract for pennies on the dollar, making the salary cap issues far less of an issue when it's time to pay big dollars for other players. In a league with a hard cap, that’s ultimately what’s needed to reach the peak… unless you get some LTIR luck. But who could possibly ever count on that, right?

Even with all that potential benefit, the best part is there’s no real downside to these deals for Tampa Bay. If any or all of the three signees don’t pan out as NHL players, the contracts can be buried in the American Hockey League without much issue. The dollar value is low enough that the only cost associated with them for the Lightning is cash from the owner’s pocket – and if the last two seasons have shown anything, it’s that this organization is blessed with an owner who is willing to spend whatever it takes to cross the finish line with his team.

So, while three-year term might look a little bit odd for mid-age prospects who needed “show me”-type deals, the context of the Lightning’s salary cap situation makes these moves look really, really smart. 'Really, really smart' is becoming par for the course with this management group, which means that the joyride we've all been on for the last few years might not be over yet.

As always, thanks for reading.

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