Only hours after signing Ryan Callahan to a six-year deal and buying out the remainder of Ryan Malone’s contract, Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward J.T. Brown to a two-year contract.
TSN’s Darren Dreger broke the story:
Tampa signs JT Brown, 2 year deal. $925,000 and $950,000.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 25, 2014Correction. $975,000 in year 2 for JT Brown.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 25, 2014In 63 games with the Bolts this past year, Brown tallied four goals and 19 points. While that may not sound like much, it is worth noting that he was the recipient of some tough luck, as evidenced by his 97.1 PDO. If his shooting percentage even creeps up to an average level, Brown could be a very solid contributor for the Bolts next season.
Another thing I’ll point out is the fact that Brown was a possession driver for the Lightning. Consider that his CF% Rel. was better than that of both Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. While he did play against weaker competition than those two players, Brown also dealt with tough zone starts. Simply put, there’s a lot to like about this signing. He's yet another young, talented piece in the Lightning's barn.
If you’re looking for the Coles Notes on my thoughts regarding this deal, look no further than this:
Two-year deal for JT Brown with an AAV of $950,000. Really good deal for TB, IMO. Not a whole lot of risk, plenty of potential reward.
— Michael Stuart (@hockeybuzzstu) June 25, 2014As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter.