Tampa Bay Lightning re-sign Teddy Purcell with 3-year, $13.5 million contract -NHL Free Agency Update
The Tampa Bay Lightning made an announcement on Tuesday, July 10, 2012, that they have secured top level right winger, Teddy Purcell, for another three seasons with a $13.5 million contract, giving him an annual salary cap hit of $4.5 million.
Purcell had become an unrestricted free agent this July as his two-year contract with Tampa Bay came to an end. The previous deal gave him an annual sum of $2.362 million, making this new contract a major boost for him.
The 26-year-old forward definitely has a lot of potential and is one of the players maximizing the Lightning offence. He had 65 points (24 goals, 41 assists) last season in a total of 81 games and a plus-minus rating of nine.
For the Lightning, Purcell is definitely a player that they have been able to count on from day one.
"He's tough, no question," Tampa Bay general manager, Steve Yzerman, said. "He knows that role. He's an intelligent guy who knows what he has to do and when he has to do it. But mostly we like him because he competes hard. He has some skill. He's a legitimate
player."
"He knows the game," Yzerman continued to say. "His play has elevated and it continues to get better and we think there's a lot more up potential. That's a reason we wanted to get him tied up for a few more years. We expect him to get better and we'll push
him to get better."
The native of St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada, was undrafted by the Los Angeles Kings and made his first appearance in the National Hockey League (NHL) with them back in the 2007-2008 regular season.
Kings traded Purcell in his third season, after which he became a regular performer for the Lightning and has been ever since.
His only playoffs performance is with Tampa Bay back in 2010-2011 in which they made the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost in Game 7 to Boston Bruins. He had 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in 18 games played.
With Teddy Purcell off of their to-do list, Tampa Bay can focus on the other aspects of their team that need immediate attention.
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