Lightning re-sign Lundin, Purcell

After dipping into the free agent pool to fill out his roster, Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman returned to familiar waters on Tuesday, bringing back a pair of the Lightning's own free agents.

The Lightning re-signed both defenseman Mike Lundin and right wing Teddy Purcell to one-year contracts. Each were restricted free agents, eligible to being signed to an offer sheet by any other team with Tampa Bay retaining the right to match. Lundin's contract is worth $750,000 after making $550,000 on a two-way contract last season. Purcell will also make $750,000 after earning $600,000 last season.

For Lundin, last season was a year of redemption as the 25-year-old forced his way up the depth chart throughout the season. Heading into training camp, Lundin looked to be on the way out after Tampa Bay brought in a handful of free agents which led Lundin to seek a trade before finally signing a one-year contract just days before the start of camp.

After starting out in the minors, Lundin earned his first call-up in December and by the end of the season he was playing top-four minutes while setting career highs with three goals and 13 points in 49 games in his third professional season since leaving the University of Main after four seasons.

Purcell, 24, scored three goals and nine points in 19 games with Tampa Bay after being acquired from Los Angeles along with a third-round draft pick for Jeff Halpern at the trade deadline. Originally undrafted, Purcell signed as a free agent with Los Angeles after one year with the University of Maine, where he was a teammate of Lundin.

Purcell has been a high scorer in the American Hockey League with 41 goals and 121 points in 105 games with Manchester, but has just 11 goals and 34 points in 110 games in the NHL. He was frequently a healthy scratch with the Kings last season before being traded to Tampa Bay.

The Lightning still have seven restricted free agents left unsigned, including 20-goal scorer Steve Downie who made $600,000 plus $165,000 in bonuses in the final year of his entry level contract, according to capgeek.com.

Also left unsigned are: C Nate Thompson, who has filed for arbitration; C Paul Szczechura, former first-round pick D Vladimir Mihalik, C Blair Jones, D Paul Ranger, LW Juraj Simek and RW Martins Karsums. Ranger's status is unknown at this point, however, after he missed most of last season after leaving the team for personal reasons while Simek has reportedly signed a tryout contract in Europe while Karsums finished last season playing in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League.