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Johnson Traded to Chicago + Goodbye to the Best "Third" Line in Hockey

July 27, 2021, 8:52 PM ET [51 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
UPDATE: The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded Tyler Johnson and a 2023 second-round draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Brent Seabrook's contract. Seabrook has another three seasons at a cap hit of $6.875M attached to his contract, but is expected remain on LTIR for the duration in order to provide the Lightning with cap flexibility.

The benefit of this trade goes beyond simply unloading Tyler Johnson's deal. Having a General Manager at the helm who has a deep knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement and its intricacies continues to pay dividends for Tampa Bay.

For everyone who said Johnson's contract was unmovable, this is irrefutable evidence that it... wasn't. The price to make this happen wasn't even particularly high, considering the absolute need for Julien BriseBois to move money. It's a tidy piece of business for the Lightning, which in return nets the Blackhawks a bottom-six centre who can still play and a decent draft pick. That's a win for both sides.

While this marks the end of Johnson's tenure with the Lightning, his impact on the Lightning will be remembered for a long while yet. Signed as an undrafted free agent, he marked the start of an influx of young talent that helped turn this Lightning squad into back-to-back champions. His contributions for almost a decade made him a fan favorite - and for good reason. All the best to him as he embarks on this next chapter in his career.

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With the (admittedly expected) news today confirming that Blake Coleman will not be returning to Tampa Bay next season, the Lightning will hit the ice this coming year with a completely new-look third line. Yanni Gourde is off to Seattle. Barclay Goodrow signed a mammoth deal with the Rangers. And Coleman will be… somewhere else. After back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in which that trio played an outsized role, it’s no surprise that salary cap realities have steered us to this point. Nevertheless, there will always remain a special place for those three in the hearts and minds of everyone in Bolts Nation.

Just how good was the Gourde line for the Lightning over the last two postseasons? About as good as any line in hockey. While often listed as the “third” line on the lineup card, that trio gave the Lightning top-six-quality minutes night in and night out through two complete (literally) postseason runs. Consider the following chart, with data from Natural Stat Trick, which compares the Lightning’s on-ice results with Gourde, Coleman, and Goodrow on the ice together and their on-ice results when all three of those guys were on the bench:

Gourde Line

By every measure, the Lightning were a better team with that line on the ice than they were when that line was on the bench. There are not many “third” lines in hockey that can drive the bus so consistently, especially over the course of two deep playoff runs. Anyone who watched even a game or two over the last two postseasons will agree that the eye test evaluation lines up with the story the numbers tell.

Beyond the numbers, though, are the moments and memories that the Gourde line provided on the road to two championships. Whether it was Blake Coleman playing Superman to beat Carey Price at the buzzer after doing it the year before against Boston, or Barclay Goodrow taking on four Islanders at once to kill the clock, or Yanni Gourde scoring a shorthanded game-winner to send the Bolts to their second straight Final, or… you get the picture. That trio gave this fan base moments and memories that will live on well beyond their playing days in the league.

Simply put, I could go on about all that the Gourde line brought to this team over the last two years, but frequent readers here already know the story. Coleman himself summed it up best when he told Joe Smith of The Athletic today that his time in Tampa was like a little fairy tale. When it comes to the impact that Gourde, Coleman, and Goodrow had on this franchise, indeed it was.

As always, thanks for reading.
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