After getting booted in the first round of the playoffs last spring, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois didn’t wait until free agency started to begin fiddling with his roster. While the second round was still going on, the Lightning announced a free agent signing that was met with a collective shrug by just about everyone.
We even passed it off as “not a game-changing pick-up, but it does add to the organization’s depth”. Credit to the Lightning’s scouting staff, and Charle-Edouard D’Astous for exceeding the expectations and earning another contract before the one he is on was even half-way finished.