The Tampa Bay Lightning and Vladislav Namestnikov avoided
having to go to arbitration on Friday, as they reached a two year, 3.85
million-dollar contract agreement Tuesday.
The 23-year-old forward had a break out season during the
2015-2016 National Hockey League season. He put up career highs of 14 goals and
21 assists in 80 games for the Lightning.
In 17 Stanley Cup
Playoff games for the Bolts in 2016, he added a goal and two assists, while helping
lead the Lightning to the Eastern Conference Finals against the eventual
Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After coming off of a one-year contract of 874,125 dollars,
this past season, the new deal is a considerable raise, as well as giving him
some job security for the next two seasons. Last season he was tied fourth on
the team in goals with Tyler Johnson.
Namestnikov was selected by the Lightning with the 27th
overall selection, in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft. Prior to the
Lightning organization, he played for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey
League.
In 2012-2013, he
joined the Bolt’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch before
making his NHL debut with Tampa against the Detroit Red Wings on February 8,
2014. Tampa defeated Detroit on that night, as they would head into the Olympic
break.
In his first full season, 2014-2015, he would play 43 games
while putting up nine goals and seven assists.
By reaching the agreement with Namestnikov, Lightning
general manager, Steve Yzerman can now turn his attention to Nikita Kucherov
and defenseman Nikita Nesterov.
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