TAMPA, Fla. — In the midst of the 2022 NHL Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning made sure to lock in goaltender Maxime Lagace for another year.
The Bolts announced Monday they re-signed Lagace to a one-year, two-way contract. This type of contact has two different possible salaries and is based on if the player is on an organization's National Hockey League roster or American Hockey League roster, the NHL explains.
The 29-year-old goaltender from Quebec, originally signed by the Bolts as a free agent in 2021, made an appearance in two games with the Tampa Bay team last season, marking a 1-1-0 record. Along with his brief NHL run, Lagace played 36 games with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch.
Lagace posted a 23-9-3 record with the Crunch, along with being tied for ranking third in the league for shutouts. He also played in five Calder Cup Playoff games with a 2.57 goals-against average (GAA) score.
All together, Lagace has played in 20 career NHL games with the Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights. He has also played in 203 career AHL games.
The Bolts also signed forward Nick Paul to a seven-year contract extension earlier this month. Paul (Does It All) will get a whopping $3.15 million (average annual value), a news release from the team explains.
Paul, 27, was on the ice for 21 games for the Lightning during the regular season after joining the Tampa Bay team before the trade deadline. He went on to score five goals, 12 points and a plus-four rating while winning more than 50 percent of his face-offs.
The Ontario native made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in 2022 with the Bolts, playing in all of the 23 postseason games. Branded with the No. 20 on his jersey, Paul would go on to claim five goals, tied for fifth-most on the team.
