If the Jake Guentzel signing was about bolstering the offense with a player in his prime, then the Zemgus Girgensons signing was about bringing a hard-forechecking defense from a veteran. The 30-year-old forward has played 688 games in the NHL, all with the Buffalo Sabres. Over that time span, he’s put up 89 goals and 99 assists while averaging 14:15 of ice time. The Lightning signed him to a three-year contract with an AAV of $850,000
With Tanner Jeannot off to Los Angeles the Lightning were looking to replace some physicality and they get that with Girgensons. While he might not have hit the back of the net all of that often, he has hit just about everything else on the ice as he leaves the Sabres with 1,239 career hits, second in franchise history.