Chaffee appeared in a career-high 30 NHL games for the Lightning in 2023-24, posting four goals and three assists while averaging 11 minutes, 17 seconds of ice time. He signed a two-year contract extension this summer to stay with Tampa Bay.
“He’s got a big time NHL shot. It’s heavy. It hurts,” Cooper said of Chaffee. “He's just gonna have to learn the way you can score in practice, you have to translate that to a game. He's a puck battle winner. You got any 50/50s, he wins. He's heavy. He goes to dirty areas, all stuff I really like.”
When Chaffee first learned Tampa Bay was interested in signing him to a contract, the forward was excited after watching the Bolts win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
"It just seemed like Tampa was a great fit for me with their reputation, everything they have and developing players and where I was in my career,” Chaffee said. “Looking at their depth charts and stuff, I felt like it was a good opportunity for me to come sign here, develop and get a chance to play in the NHL and just try and take advantage of that opportunity.”
The versatile Chaffee played his first game for the Lightning on Dec. 12, 2023 in Vancouver. He was called up to the NHL three times last season while posting 26 points in 36 games with the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Chaffee registered his first multipoint showing in his second NHL game on Jan. 25, scoring a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win over Arizona.
“I think a big part of it was just trying to prove to them that I can play whatever kind of role they need, and it was super exciting,” Chaffee said of his first season as a Bolt. “After that, (I) went down and then came back up again for however many more games and just tried to get better each time I got called up.”
Skating remains a focus for Chaffee, who said he constantly works on positioning, particularly near the boards.
"Playing on the walls, I do a lot of that and a lot of battles. So it's trying to put myself in those positions where I can win those battles or be able to pick up pucks off the wall and make plays. I think that's a big part of the game,” Chaffee said.
"And I just continue to work on shooting. I feel like it's one of my best attributes. I love doing it, so it's trying to continue to work on it, whether you're shooting in different places or different areas of the ice. Those are kind of the biggest things that I've been working on."
Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons, who has played with Chaffee on the fourth line this season, said he “loves” playing alongside Chaffee.
“He’s an all-around great player who has a little bit of everything,” Girgensons said. “He’s got good hands, he’s physical with a good skillset.”
Chaffee was linemates with Wild youngster Marco Rossi for two seasons. Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, as well as forwards Marcus Foligno and Matt Boldy, have kept in contact with their former teammate.
Spurgeon texted Chaffee to congratulate him on his first NHL goal in January. Though Spurgeon is likely hoping not to see a Chaffee goal when playing against the Lightning this week, the current Bolt aims to do just that.
And while Chaffee said it’s exciting to be on Tampa Bay’s roster, have a stall in an NHL dressing room and a spot in the lineup after working his entire life to reach the top league in the world, he plans to keep working so he can stick around.
"I think for me, it's just taking it day by day and practice by practice, trying to get better and trying to continue to grow. I'm not really looking at the whole season, and I don't feel like I'm content with where I'm at,” Chaffee said. “I'm just trying to continue to improve and help this team win.”
