Tampa Bay Lightning re-sign Dumont, Conacher while coach Trent Cull leaves the organziation

By Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
June 28, 2017

BRANDON – Three days ahead of free agency, the Lightning ensured two of their own did not get away, even if one coach did.

Tampa Bay signed forwards Cory Conacher and Gabriel Dumont each to two-year contracts on Wednesday. Both were scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on Saturday.

While the two players were retained, Syracuse Crunch assistant coach Trent Cull left the team to take the head coaching job with the Utica Comets, the farm team of the Vancouver Canucks.

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Both Conacher and Dumont proved valuable members of the Lightning organization last season, both in Tampa Bay and Syracuse.

Conacher returned to the Lightning organization for the first time since he was traded to Ottawa at the end of the 2013 season in a trade that landed Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop. Conacher, the 2012 American Hockey League MVP with Norfolk, spent the previous season in Switzerland before deciding to return to North America.

Conacher finished with 60 points in 56 games with Syracuse before helping lead the Crunch to the Calder Cup Final, leading all playoff scorers with 12 goals and 28 points. He also returned to the NHL, appearing in 11 games with Tampa Bay, scoring his first NHL goal in more two years.

Dumont finished his first season with the Lightning appearing in a career high 39 games after spending five seasons in the Montreal organization where he appeared in a total of 18 regular season games. Dumont was a key member of Tampa Bay’s late-season surge, picking up two goals and four points while winning 55 percent of his faceoffs.

For Syracuse, Dumont picked up five goals and 11 points on the run to the Calder Cup Final.

Both players signed similar deals, with the first year on a one-way contract worth $650,000 and the second year a two-way deal.

Cull has spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach with the Crunch and proved a help for first-year Syracuse head coach Ben Groulx this season.

”He’s a good coach, leadership, he’s an example for the players, he’s a good teacher,’’ Groulx said. “He did a lot of good things with our young defensemen, especially, so I’m happy for him. It’s well deserved, he’s a good coach and he’ll do a good job. We’ll miss him.’’

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