Could a reunion with Lightning be in the cards for Blake Coleman?
There may have been no more successful midseason acquisition of a bottom-six forward than when the Tampa Bay Lightning added Blake Coleman ahead of the 2020 trade deadline. Coleman slotted perfectly on Tampa Bay’s third line, completing a deep and talented group of forwards and helping them win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
Fast forward to 2026, and teams looking for that final piece to make a run at the Cup could have a chance to repeat history. Coleman, now playing for the Calgary Flames, was listed as the number-one name on Matt Larkin’s updated trade board on Tuesday. Coleman has already proven he can be that addition to put a team over the top, so this season’s contenders, including even the Lightning themselves, could all be interested in making a move for the veteran winger.
On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed which teams should be calling about Coleman ahead of March 6th’s trade deadline.
Tyler Yaremchuk: What makes Coleman interesting is he’s got a Stanley Cup ring, he’s a guy who I think can kind of move up and down a lineup. If you need him to put up offense on the second line, if you want him to play more of a checking role on the third line, he can do all of that. He also comes with a year of term at $4.9 million. Who did you have as your fit for Blake Coleman?
Carter Hutton: I had the Montreal Canadiens, just because I like the fact that he’s been tied to them a little bit, and I think he could play in the top-nine. There’s that veteran leadership which I think they need as a younger team with tempered expectations. He can come in and be a good fit with his two Stanley Cup rings and what he’s been able to do at 34 years old at $4.9 million. The other key factor I saw on this, his family is staying down in Texas. They’re expecting their fourth child, and they went back on the Olympic break and they’re staying there. I think the full expectations are they know he’s going to be moved. Why wouldn’t you want to move out somewhere where you have a chance to be in a better role and try to help this team win?
Tyler Yaremchuk: I went with a sort of reunion for Coleman. I went with Tampa Bay as an option. They have $3.1 million in cap space right now, but they’re running with eight defenseman and 13 forwards on their roster. They could just slide a couple of guys down to the minors and they would have enough money to fit in Blake Coleman’s contract without any sort of retention. I think, again, that’s a piece that could move up and down their lineup. He’s familiar with Jon Cooper and the core in Tampa. I like Tampa Bay for Blake Coleman.
You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Tuesday’s episode here…