The Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be in cap trouble this offseason as they will not be able to bring back a few of their players. Winning also comes with loss and the Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups while also making the final the season after. They’ve lost some key players in the past few offseasons and this summer should include the likes of Alex Killorn and Ian Cole in free agency as well as RFA Ross Colton.
The Lightning have new contracts in place for Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak, Anthony Cirelli, Nick Perbix, and Michael Eyssimont, and Philippe Myers, and while half of those aren’t big extensions, the first three take up nearly all of the cap space left for the team to use. Colton has been an effective middle-six player for the Lightning for three seasons and will require a raise, one that the team might not be able to fit under the salary cap. This may force them to look to another team to move him and potentially re-coop some draft picks.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche were very top-heavy throughout the season and in playoffs as any solid depth pieces they had were moved up to replace injured players. It has been a problem for them for a number of years, but this season was especially damaging. The bottom-six combined for one assist in seven games and while the Avalanche won’t have the most cap space in the world to work with, they will have more than the Lightning.
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Colton can be the perfect addition as he can play center and the wing and the Avalanche might be losing one or two of those versatile players. It remains to be seen where UFAs J.T. Compher and Evan Rodrigues sign, but Colton would be a very solid third line acquisition who can also move up the lineup if needed. The Avalanche center depth is still being worked out, so whether he is their middle-six center for a few years or moving around the lineup, he may be a solution.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins look weak in their bottom-six and will be going through some changes in the offseason with new management. It is already believed that the likes of Jason Zucker, Danton Heinen, and Nick Bonino aren’t going to be back, but Mikael Granlund is also a trade target. That means there are going to be a fair amount of spots to fill at forward. The middle-six appears to be what is going to need the most work if players are moving on from there. That is exactly where Colton can slot in. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at center, Colton could either help on the wing in the top-six or play anywhere on the third line.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks aren’t done changing their roster as there still might be a trade or two completed this offseason. The leading candidate at forward is Conor Garland who is slotted in on the third line wing. While the Canucks don’t need help in the top-six at the moment, their third line and depth could use a boost. Whether Colton replaces Nils Aman at third line center, fills in for a potentially traded Garland, or takes the spot of Phillip Di Giuseppe on the wing, Ross Colton can provide a lot for the forward group of the Canucks.
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