Meet the new guy: Blake Coleman joins Bolts for Wednesday practice

As newly-acquired Tampa Bay Lightning forward Blake Coleman walked into the T-Mobile Arena visitors locker room following his first practice with an unfamiliar team, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos turned to him and said, "One down."
Coleman made his Lightning debut, albeit in practice form, during Wednesday's training session. Coleman flew from Newark to Las Vegas the previous night and had a chance to make his introductions to his new teammates later that night before joining them for the first practice.

"The boy can skate," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "It's a pleasure to watch up close. It was a slow practice, not a lot going on but in the middle part there, we got to do a little bit of systems stuff. Just talking to him, you could see he's excited to be here and he's going to be a great addition for us."

Coleman said today was his first time skating in about four or five days. His last game came five days ago February 14 when he played in Carolina while still a member of the New Jersey Devils. Two days later, he was traded to Tampa Bay, the Lightning acquiring an "Energizer bunny" who can hit, skate, block shots, kill penalties and, most importantly, score goals. Coleman has 21 goals currently, ranking tied for first on New Jersey at the time of the trade, and has posted back-to-back 20-goal seasons.
"He's not afraid to come in and shoot pucks," Cooper said. "…That alone will get you more goals. But he creates his own just with his speed and his tenacity, he'll create his own chances. You always hear that 200-foot player thrown around, but he's been put in situations on the defensive side of things and has excelled. And when you throw in 20-plus (goals) a year that's a pretty good combination to have."
During Wednesday's practice, Coleman skated on the left wing on a line with Tyler Johnson (center) and Yanni Gourde (right wing). The Lightning's lines were slightly mixed as Brayden Point was given a rest day and wasn't available. Mitchell Stephens slotted into Point's vacated spot on the top line.
It will be interesting to see if Coleman will be a permanent fixture on the third line or will rotate around to find who he plays best with. And it remains to be seen who will have to come out of the lineup to accommodate Coleman.
"It's a learning process," Coleman said. "A lot of it is going out and seeing who you have chemistry with. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get the right units. No matter what, I'm happy to be here and excited to play with my new team."
Coleman also got some work on the Lightning's penalty kill and would appear to be a solid addition to that group. He ranks sixth among NHL forwards for average shorthanded time on ice (2:47) and has scored three shorthanded goals this season, tied for the fourth most in the NHL.
Coleman said it's difficult to adjust to playing with a new team, learning new systems and understanding your role within that structure. He'll focus on keeping his game simple until he gets more comfortable playing with the Bolts. He's expected to play his first game with the Lightning Thursday when the Bolts take on the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

"I think they'll probably throw a lot at me," Coleman said. "I've already gone through some stuff, but at the end of the day, it's my experience you've just got to go play your game and you'll pick the stuff over time, get better and better as the year goes on and that's why when you do this at the deadline, you have some time to get acclimated and nail down the systems. Don't overthink too much, just want to go out and play my game and get my feet wet."
INJURY UPDATES: Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn skated with the rest of his teammates during Wednesday's practice session and signs point to him being able to return to the lineup Thursday at Vegas. He missed the Colorado game with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
"He skated today, so we'll see how he's feeling tomorrow," Cooper said. "But he's definitely made good progress here in the last 48 hours."
Jan Rutta joined the Lightning toward the end of practice and has been skating a couple days now, but Cooper said he's still in the week-to-week category. Rutta also has a lower-body injury.
"Definitely not day-to-day," Cooper said. "He's not there yet."