Slater Koekkoek will return to the Tampa Bay Lightning next season (for now) after he accepted a one-year contract worth $865,000. Koekkoek requires waivers to be sent down, but his contract is completely buriable. [Raw Charge]
There’s a definite question here about whether Koekkoek will find his way into the lineup. It’s possible with the coaching shuffle and Rick Bowness being shown the door that Koekkoek will get something of a fresh start with Todd Richards taking over the defensemen. The league has demonstrated that you need mobile defensemen to be successful.