The Tampa Bay Lightning have news to announce that they sign Austin Watson to a Professional tryout (PTO). The 31-year-old, nine-year NHL player will hope to bring his physical presence to the playoff contending lineup. He was well appreciated for the Ottawa Senators and earned this opportunity with the Lightning. General Manager Julien Brisebois will look to welcome the veteran and give him every chance possible.
Tampa Bay #GoBolts have signed Austin Watson to a professional try out.https://t.co/E2iKhf8uZe https://t.co/oDfEJI5jjn
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 23, 2023
Tampa Bay Lighting Signs Veteran Forward Austin Watson to PTO
In the Austin Watson signing the Lightning are acquiring a player that is an effective, fourth-line type player. Last year he had 9 goals for the Senators and his career-high is 14 with the Nashville Predators in 2017-18. However, goal scoring definitely is not Watson’s specialty. At 6’4”, he is effective on the forecheck and will stick up for his teammates. Each are welcome commodities when teams enter grind for the season a bad ultimately the drive to Lord Stanley’s Holy Grail. Furthermore, this season he ended up third on the Senators in hits. The past two seasons he had 213 and 165 hits, respectively. These totals were good for second and third on the team, also respectively. The 2022-23 total is made the more impressive in just over 10 minutes of ice time per night.
What This Means for the Lightning
Watson makes for a great supporting cast member on a prospective playoff roster. In Ottawa, he was a fan favourite with his ability to stick up for his teammates. If he throws a big hit, he knows sometimes he has to back it up by throwing bombs. During his tenure with Nashville, he appeared in four post-seasons. His career playoff PPG of 0.422 is an added bonus. If he can make the team out of camp, Tampa will be thankful for his contributions. Teams are also looking for grit and reliability from fourth-liners come the post season, exactly intangibles Watson provides.
Main Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
