This Tampa Bay Lightning signing has a great chance to bounce back.
Earlier this offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers bought out forward Cam Atkinson. This was in response to Atkinson’s tough 2023-24 campaign. In 70 games for the Flyers on the year, he recorded 13 goals, 28 points, and a minus-22 rating.
Shortly after being bought out, Atkinson signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Lightning having limited cap space but needing more secondary scoring, it makes sense that they are taking a shot on a sniper with past success like Atkinson. He now has a golden chance in front of him to turn things back around in Tampa Bay.
When looking at the Lightning’s current roster, it is apparent that the second-line right wing spot is up for grabs. When noting that Atkinson is a skilled offensive forward who can produce well when playing at his best, he has a real case for competing for the role at training camp. In addition, he should get plenty of reps on the Lightning’s power play because of his offensive play.
If Atkinson secures the second-line role with a strong training camp, he could also benefit immensely from playing with stars Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, as they both are good at setting their teammates up.
It will now be interesting to see what kind of season Atkinson has with the Lightning from here. If he gets his offense back up a bit, he would be a steal of a signing at that low of a price.