The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that they have re-signed forward Tyler Johnson to a three year contract. The Calder Trophy finalist's deal is worth $10-million dollars over three seasons; it carries an annual cap hit of $3.33-million. Johnson was in line for a big pay raise after potting 24 goals and tallying 50 points in his first full NHL season.
When looking around the league for feel-good stories, it's hard to ignore Tyler Johnson. The former Western Hockey League star has gone from being an undrafted free agent to one of the league's up-and-coming stars. Being nominated for the Calder is both a huge honor and a testament to just how good Johnson was this season. Despite being undersized at 5-foot-9, Johnson plays a big man's game. He has no fear. That quality quickly endeared him to the Lightning faithful.
By inking Johnson to a three year deal, the player will have an opportunity to prove himself over the next few seasons. This sort of bridge contract is often used in other organizations, so it doesn't come as any surprise that Yzerman has brought the model to Tampa. If Johnson performs well over the next three years, he'll be in line for yet another pay raise. Conversely, the risk for the Lightning isn't a big one due to the short term nature of the deal. The deal just makes sense for both sides.
As Johnson's agent noted, the negotiation process was a simple one.
Mark MacKay, agent for #tblightning Tyler Johnson, says negotiations were easy. "They were high on Tyler and Tyler was high on them."
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) May 23, 2014All in all, Lightning fans should be happy that Johnson will be back for the next handful of years. The Bolts lost one undrafted, undersized player with heart this year, but it doesn't look like Johnson has any intention of leaving. That, from my perspective, is great news.
As always, thanks for reading.