Blake Coleman leaving Lightning for Flames: reports
Coleman #Coleman
TAMPA — It’s official: the Lightning’s third line is no more.
As expected, Tampa Bay forward Blake Coleman left when the free-agency period opened Wednesday afternoon, agreeing to a deal with the Flames, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun and Missin’ Curfew’s Jimmy Hayes.
Coleman was the last player from the third line remaining after Barclay Goodrow was traded to the Rangers and Yanni Gourde was selected by Seattle in the expansion draft.
Coleman, 29, was acquired from New Jersey just ahead of the 2020 trade deadline and was a key component of both Stanley Cup runs for the Lightning.
He compiled 13 goals and 17 assists with Tampa Bay during the 2020-21 regular season before contributing another 11 points (three goals and eight assists) en route to the team’s second straight Cup.
In a short time, Coleman made an impact. His gritty style of play was pivotal on the team’s top penalty-kill unit (which was fourth-best in the league at 82.4 percent efficiency), where he joined Goodrow and defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak.
Coleman also scored one of the franchise’s most memorable goals in Game 2 of the Cup final against Montreal, diving toward the net and scoring the go-ahead goal in the closing seconds of the second period.
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said at the start of the offseason that Coleman was one of the players who deserved a raise in free agency. BriseBois wasn’t sure, however, if he would be the general manager who could give it to him.
Coleman’s agent, Brian Bartlett, told the Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday that while there was a “mutual interest” in Coleman returning to Tampa Bay, it was unlikely given the Lightning’s cap situation “unless something totally unexpected happens.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.
• • •
The Tampa Bay Times will commemorate the Lightning’s second consecutive Stanley Cup title with a new hardcover coffee table book, Striking Twice. Pre-order now.
Sign up for Lightning Strikes, a weekly newsletter from Bolts beat writer Eduardo A. Encina that brings you closer to the ice.
Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.