Lightning move quickly to lock up Nick Paul with seven-year deal

When the Tampa Bay Lightning held exit interviews just three days ago, general manager Julien BriseBois said the team had already been in contact and had preliminary discussions with the agents of Ondrej Palat, Nick Paul, and Jan Rutta.
Today, the Bolts were able to check one of those three players off the to-do list after signing Paul to a seven-year contract extension carrying a $3.15M AAV.

After being acquiring by the Lightning at this year's trade deadline, the 27-year-old forward skated in 21 regular season games and recorded 14 points with five goals and nine assists. Paul went on to play in all 23 playoff games for Tampa Bay, scoring five goals and adding four assists for nine points.
A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Paul showed up in several big moments for the Bolts in this year's postseason. He scored both of the team's goals in the 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the First Round. After suffering an MCL sprain against the Avalanche in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, Paul returned in that same game and buried the game-winning goal for Tampa Bay.
"In true hockey player fashion, he sucks it up and comes out and scores the eventual game-winner," said Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. "You can see how valuable he is to our team."
Paul brings the warrior mentality teams want, especially come playoff time. Not only did he return to the Colorado game after spraining his MCL, but Paul also suffered a shoulder/AC join sprain in the Eastern Conference Final that he played through for the remainder of the postseason.
When he was first acquired by Tampa Bay, Paul was playing about 13-15 minutes a night. Come playoff time, he was averaging over 18 minutes a game.
"Did we sit here and think he was going to come in and play the center position for us and that many minutes? No," said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper during the Second Round series against the Florida Panthers. "Did we think he was going to be first over the boards on the PK? No.
"He just played himself into these roles and has excelled."
Paul seemed to make himself more and more valuable as each game went along. He rarely makes mistakes and he's heavy on the forecheck. He plays the game simple when it needs to be played that way and possesses some sneaky skill as well.
In the postseason, he took more faceoffs than any of his teammates and managed to win 49.7% of them. He played crucial minutes on the penalty kill and was tied for fourth among NHL forwards for average shorthanded time on ice.
Altogether, Paul was an excellent add for the Bolts at the trade deadline. They love what he brought to the lineup and it sounds like Paul loved being a part of it, too.
"When the season ended, I called my agent," said Paul. "I said, 'Hey, this is a place that I want to be.' I'm just thrilled to be here long-term."
Coming from Ottawa to Tampa, it probably felt like a big of a 180 for Paul. From Canada to Florida. From snow to sunshine.
"I love it here," Paul said. "I can't say enough good things about Tampa. I knew that Tampa was a great spot and the fans are great, but as soon as I got here, I couldn't believe how much support the team has from the fans."
Tampa has become one of the most desirable cities for NHL athletes to play. There's no shoveling snow and you can always throw on a pair of flip-flops for your daily trip to the rink. But one thing that sometimes surprises the newcomers is the unwavering support from the Lightning fanbase.
"These last couple days after the season, I can't even count how many people have come up to me and thanked me and congratulated me on the season and then [they are] telling me they want me to stay," Paul explained. "It just means a lot to us. It makes us feel appreciated and supported and that's huge.
"When you're playing games and you're in a city where you know your fans are behind you, it just gives you the extra boost and it feels really good.
"I couldn't say enough good things about Tampa and definitely one of the reasons in a decision of why we wanted to stay here."
From grinding to earn a spot in the American Hockey League to signing a seven-year contract extension with one of the top teams in the NHL, it's been a crazy ride for Paul, who is still trying to wrap his head around his new contract.
"To think five years ago, six years ago, four years ago, just how hard I was grinding to make the AHL," Paul said. "Seventy-thousand dollars to 100,000 dollars to this. It just really puts in perspective the situation and how grateful and how lucky I am.
"I'm already signed to a seven-year deal, which is crazy to me to still wrap my head around, but I couldn't be more excited, more happy to be here."
With Paul locked in long-term, the Bolts now have both of their trade deadline acquisitions ready to roll heading into next season. With two years left on Bradon Hagel's contract, him and Paul will combine for a very modest $4.65M cap hit over the next two seasons.
With the likes of Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, Point, and Vasilevskiy all locked up, Tampa Bay's core was already one of the strongest in the league. Now, Paul is a part of that core as well.
"I couldn't be more excited, more happy to be here," said Paul. "It wasn't a hard decision for me. I wasn't looking around. I knew that this is where I wanted to be and, thankfully, we got it done."