Tampa Bay Lightning change philosophy add smaller forward to the bottom six

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Liam
September 9, 2023 (5:41 PM)

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This morning, the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois announced that the team has signed the highly-lauded depth forward, Tyler Motte.

https://www.nhl.com/lightning/news/lightning-sign-forward-tyler-motte-to-a-one-year-contract?fbclid=IwAR2A7EcjWQBnX1TgzqClxz0pcYXaoGMOzdChAPSbbSbDv__mWgMcwnnXfYs_aem_ARGx1U-hFEizuU_mOsk3rUPg7imsA6Nvl_9PNZjMkQ0fENbAm7WsGzohXWkItpsO_6E

Motte, 28 years old, has had a role of a trusted utility depth player, and has since carved out a journeyman career with the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, and Ottawa Senators.

Last season, Motte played 62 games between the Senators and Rangers, tallying 8 goals and 19 points. Along with his decent offensive contributions for a depth forward, Motte led the league with an impressive 5 blocked shots per game, and proved his value on the penalty kill as well.

With the Tampa Bay Lightning, Motte will fit the team identity of hard working two way players in their bottom six, and will be a fixture on their penalty kill, even though he's smaller than what they normally add for their bottom 6.

Perhaps with more opportunity, Motte could slide up Tampa's talented lineup and provide another career high year in scoring. Regardless of how he fits into Tampa's roster, Motte will likely prove to be another savvy signing for the perennially contending team.