TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Cal Foote celebrated his first Stanley Cup this past season. Now, he's celebrating a new contract.
The Lightning signed Foote to a two-year contract extension worth $850,000 per year. It's the biggest investment the team has made in Foote after selecting him 14th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft.
Foote, 22, played his first NHL season in 2021 and immediately contributed to a championship team. He scored one goal and two assists while putting up an impressive plus-minus of +9 over 35 regular-season games. He also notched a goal and three assists in six games with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
Foote's signing comes at a time of change for the Lightning. Salary cap constraints led the Bolts to trade Tyler Johnson to Chicago and let Blake Coleman sign with Calgary as a free agent. They also lost locker room favorite Yanni Gourde to the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft.
But the Lightning are still making moves aimed at a third straight Stanley Cup. They re-signed one of their top scorers, Brayden Point, to a lucrative eight-year deal earlier this week. The Bolts then added Corey Perry, who faced Tampa Bay in each of the last two Stanley Cup Finals (2020 with Dallas, 2021 with Montreal.)
Foote comes from a hockey family. He is the son of Adam Foote, who won two Stanley Cups over 20 years in the NHL. Cal's brother, Nolan, is a top prospect for the New Jersey Devils.
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