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Lightning ink Nikita Nesterov to one-year, $725,000 deal

September 26, 2016, 8:37 PM ET [32 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed one of their restricted free agents named Nikita today. It just wasn’t the one everyone’s been eagerly waiting to see signed by Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman. In one of their final housekeeping moves of the offseason, Yzerman and the Bolts agreed to terms on a one-year, $725,000 deal with defenseman Nikita Nesterov.

The 23-year-old Nesterov, drafted by the Lightning in the fifth round (148th overall) in 2011, established career-highs in goals (three), assists (six), points (nine), and games played (57) with the Lightning a year ago, and added an assist and nine penalty minutes in nine playoff games last year.

Overall, the Russian defender, who skated in one game and recorded one shot on goal for his native Russia in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey this month, has tallied five goals and 21 points in 86 NHL contests, along with one goal and seven points in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

With Nesterov signed and likely slotted as Tampa Bay’s seventh d-man, the Lightning have eight defensemen on their NHL roster if you include Matt Taormina and Slater Koekkoek in that group, and also have veteran puck-mover James Wisniewski still in camp on a professional tryout.

The signing leaves the Lightning with more than $5.8 million in cap space to re-sign Nikita Kucherov. The Bolts will likely have to come up with some crafty cap maneuvering to make a deal for Kucherov work, but with winger Ryan Callahan (hip) expected to begin the year on the long-term injured reserve, Yzerman and Co. will have some flexibility on their hands.
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