Sunday Night Stats: Checking in on some ex-Bolts
It’s the kind of box-score rabbit hole hockey fans can’t resist: a quick look at how the former guys are doing now that they’re wearing different sweaters. The Lightning’s exes are spread around the league this season, and a few of them are already carving out very different roles than the ones they had in Tampa Bay.
Oliver Bjorkstrand has landed with the New York Rangers on a one-year, $4.5 million deal with a 15-team no-trade clause, and his season has started with a changing role. In 10 games, he has two goals and one assist with 2.09 iXG and 10:30 of ice time per game.
He opened the year in the Rangers’ top six, but with other players stepping forward, his minutes have slipped. His last outing saw him skating with Taylor Raddysh and Justin Dowling, a trio that lined up as New York’s fourth line by ice time.
He’s still seeing work on the second power play unit, and both of his goals came against the Islanders.
Declan Carlile is making the most of a fresh start in Pittsburgh. Signed by the Penguins for two years at $1.5 million per season, he has produced two goals and two assists in nine games while logging 19:05 a night.
His iXG sits at 0.65. The Lightning reportedly wanted to keep him, and he’s responded with a meaningful role alongside Erik Karlsson.
Most of his minutes have come at five-on-five and short-handed, and while Karlsson and Kris Letang limit the room for extra-skater work, Carlile has settled in well. All of his points came in the first three games, but the Penguins have generally controlled possession when he’s on the ice.
Corey Perry is with the Los Angeles Kings on a one-year deal worth $1 million, plus up to $500,000 in performance bonuses, and he carries a full no-trade clause. The 41-year-old missed the Kings’ opener because of a family illness, then returned and has played in every game since - though Los Angeles has only been on the ice six times so far.
He has been used mostly on the fourth line and is averaging between 10 and 13 minutes per night. Perry has yet to record a point, but he has created some offense with four individual scoring chances and has also seen time on the Kings’ second power play unit.
With Los Angeles off to a rough start, another trade deadline storyline could be forming, and Perry’s no-trade protection gives him control if that happens.
Mitchell Chaffee chose New York Island this summer after signing a one-year, $850,000, one-way contract with the Islanders. He didn’t make the opening night lineup, but that hardly stopped him from making an impact.
Chaffee burst out with a hat trick in his debut and has added three more points since then, with one goal and two assists. In six games, he has four goals and two assists, along with eight penalty minutes with the Hamilton Hammers of the AHL.
Given the way he’s started, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he gets a call if injuries hit the Islanders or if Victor Eklund or Calum Ritchie struggle at the NHL level.
The Lightning also moved a pair of bigger names this summer, and both ended up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nick Paul came over in a deal that sent Dennis Hildeby, a 2027 fourth-round pick, and a 2028 third-round pick back the other way.
He has nine games on his ledger with one goal and three assists, 1.75 iXG, 15:46 of ice time, and a 41.56% faceoff rate. What may have surprised people is the role: Paul has been working as Toronto’s second-line center because of John Tavares’ injury.
Right now he’s centering Easton Cowen and Kirill Markchenko, though he has continued to bounce around the lineup in classic Nick Paul fashion. His three assists have gone to Colton Sissons, Nick Blankenburg, and William Nylander, and all came at even strength.
He’s also killing penalties, but after beginning the season on the power play, he hasn’t seen time with either the top or second unit in the last few games.
Darren Raddysh’s move to Toronto came after he signed an eight-year extension and was dealt for a 2026 fifth-round pick. The hometown fit hasn’t turned into a smooth one just yet.
Through nine games, he has no goals, four assists, 1.22 iXG, 23:54 of ice time per game, and 47 shot attempts. That workload leads all Maple Leafs players, but the points have been limited, with only two of his assists coming on the power play.
The encouraging sign is that two of those assists arrived in the last three games, and with Chris Tanev injured, there’s little reason to expect Raddysh’s ice time to drop anytime soon.
In Other News...
Lightning Just Got A Tougher Test Against A Healthier Avalanche
Colorado is getting a little closer to full strength just in time for a matchup with Tampa Bay. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said forward Logan OConnor is expected to be back in the lineup Friday against the Lightning, a notable step after OConnor opened the season on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and missed the season opener.
OConnors return also comes after a difficult stretch away from hockey, with the forward having stepped away from the team following his fathers passing earlier in October. For Tampa Bay, it adds another layer to a road test that already figures to be a sharper one against an Avalanche group with more pieces coming back into place. [Read more 🡒]