The Tampa Bay Lightning are entering the offseason in a challenging spot. They have a little over $5 million of cap space and need to get star forward Steven Stamkos re-signed. As a result, there is an expectation that they will move out at least one of their contracts.
Due to the Lightning’s cap situation, they will not be in a position to bring in any expensive newcomers in free agency. However, the potential for them to bring in bargain free agents on very low cap hits is still there.
Because of this, one forward who the Lightning should consider targeting this offseason if he hits the market is Boston Bruins winger James van Riemsdyk.
The Bruins signed van Riemsdyk to a cheap one-year deal this offseason with the hope that he would give them more secondary offensive production. In the end, he did just that, as he had 11 goals and 38 points in 71 regular-season games. He then followed that up with five points in 11 playoff games.
When noting that van Riemsdyk could once again be had for a deal near league-minimum salary, he is an interesting player for the Lightning to consider. It’s also likely that he would be open to a move to Tampa, as he has yet to win a Stanley Cup and the Bolts are always a big threat.
If the Lightning signed van Riemsdyk, he would be a nice addition to their bottom six. He would also be an obvious pick for their second power-play unit, as he is known for strong net-front presence ability.
While the Lightning have bigger decisions to deal with first, they should be open to adding an experienced depth forward like JVR to their roster.
