The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Tyler Johnson to a three-year contract extending him through the 2016-17 Season.

There are a lot of young players, and even some veteran ones, who the Tampa Bay Lightning need to re-sign during the off-season. One of the names that quickly rise to the top of the list is Lightning center Tyler Johnson. Thankfully, the Lightning has noticed his potential as much as the fans have.

Earlier this afternoon, Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced via the Lightning’s Official Site that the organization has come to terms with the Lightning center Tyler Johnson to a three-year contract.

Last season, he scored 24 goals and 26 assists for a total of 50 points to accompany his plus-23 rating. This put him fourth among his teammates in regards to points.

According to Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman, the deal is reportedly worth $10 million over the course of the three year period.

Besides the hopeful re-signing of soon-to-be restricted free agent and Lightning left wing Ondrej Palat, Johnson is one of the most vital pieces to the puzzle when it comes to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s future.

Last season, Johnson played in all 82 games the Lightning played. He is one of only three players, including both defenseman Matt Carle and center Alex Killorn, who have attained this mark. In that amount of time, he scored 24 goals and 26 assists for a total of 50 points to accompany his plus-23 rating. This put him fourth among his teammates in regards to points.

His performance during the season has earned him a spot as one of the three finalists for the Calder Trophy this year, which is awarded to “the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.”

He is joined by his Lightning teammate Ondrej Palat and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche in the running for the Calder Trophy this season.

As soon as we got to about the halfway point in the season, I knew this was one of the upcoming Restricted Free Agents that we needed to lock down as soon as the opportunity arose.

If nothing else, Johnson has shown that he has what it takes to perform in the big leagues, and the chemistry that he shows with his line mates will mean good things for many years to come for the Lightning; especially with the possibility of new additions to the lineup like Jonathan Drouin next season.

What do you think of the Lightning’s decision to re-sign Tyler Johnson for the next three seasons? Are you happy the team is making strides to secure some of our more valuable players that are due to hit free agency this year? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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