Bolts enter 2023 Draft with four picks after dealing Colton

Going into the 2023 NHL Draft Wednesday night in Nashville, the Tampa Bay Lightning, for now, will have four picks.

After making a trade to acquire a second-round pick (37th overall) from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for restricted free agent Ross Colton Wednesday morning, the Bolts enter the draft with the newly acquired second-round pick, one sixth-round pick (179th) and two seventh-round picks (193rd and 211th).

Colton, 26, departs Tampa Bay after skating in 190 career games and recording 83 points with 47 goals and 36 assists. The Robbinsville, New Jersey native left a permanent mark on the Lightning franchise with the game-winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final to help secure the franchise's third title.

"Ross was a fabulous player for our organization," said Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois. "A very popular player, a very popular teammate. He's another success story from our draft team and our development program.

"He put in the work. It took a lot of time before he even turned pro, then he spent some time in the minors worked his way into being an NHL regular and a Stanley Cup winner and scored a huge goal to help us clinch a Stanley Cup in 2021. No one can ever erase that and we're really appreciative of the way he went about his business.

"The way he conducted himself and worked his way into becoming an NHL player, that's role model level stuff for our future prospects."

BriseBois said Wednesday that with what the Bolts projected Colton would be awarded had the two parties gone to arbitration, it made more sense to trade him and use the cap space elsewhere while also acquiring an asset that will "more than likely" be used to draft a player and help replenish the organization's prospect pool.

In terms of finding those prospects, Lightning director of pro scouting Al Murray said Tampa Bay prepares for every draft the exact same way, regardless of how many picks the team has as the event gets closer.

"Our preparation stays exactly the same because we're never sure exactly what's going to come our way when we finally get to the table," said Murray. "Trades can always happen at the last minute, so we prepare as if we have picks at any point in the draft. So, when our time comes along, we're ready to go."

Murray said the 2023 Draft has anywhere between five to 10 "really high-end prospects" that not every draft has. Beyond that, he believes there are a plethora of really solid players with first round potential that will be available in the second round. If Tampa Bay holds onto the pick they acquired in the trade with Colorado Wednesday morning, they will have the opportunity to grab one of those prospects just five picks into the second round.

As for the other three picks the Lightning currently have, Murray feels confident that the team will be able to find quality prospects late in the draft.

"We think that there's a lot of depth right to the seventh round and we're prepared for what we might get in the sixth and seventh round," Murray said. "We're excited about some of the kids we think might fall, so it's usual preparation. I think it's a strong draft and we're ready for whatever comes our way."

As Lightning fans have heard with previous drafts, the Bolts are looking for players that have a willingness to continue working at their craft and will hopefully develop into regular NHL players down the road.

"It's one thing to identify who the best player is right now," Murray explained. "But it's finding the traits within that player and the willingness to work to develop his overall game to figure out who's going to be the best player 5-10 years from now. Whoever the best player is right now often doesn't make any difference when it comes time to be an NHL player.

"Most of the kids are going to need a lot of time to develop in the level that they play at right now, whether it's college, junior, or in the men's leagues in Europe. Then they're going to have to go to the American League and keep working hard. It's as important to find the right quality of person who's not easily discouraged as it is to find that great quality of skill level."

For Murray and the rest of the Lightning scouting staff, this is when all their hard work throughout the entire year comes together.

"It can be a lot of fun, or it can be very frustrating. It depends on how the other teams cooperate and leave guys on the table for you or not," said Murray with a laugh. "It's the culmination of a lot of hard work over the years, so it's always nice to be able to finally add some players, whether it's through early picks, late picks, or free agents.

"It's always nice to be able to add some players and then see what the new group is going to look like coming through the organization."

Tampa Bay has had success over the years with late-round draft picks and free agent signings, including players like Nick Perbix, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson. They'll hope for more of that success in 2023.

As for other potential moves by BriseBois and the Bolts, we'll have to wait and see. With Tanner Jeannot and Alex Killorn seeming to be the number one priority away from the draft, BriseBois shared Wednesday that the team is still hopeful to sign both players, saying he "will definitely bring at least one of them back, but I'm still working on trying to see if I can bring two of them back."

Free agency officially opens July 1.