Lightning give Crombeen amid flurry of moves
The Tampa Bay Lightning made a flurry of moves Monday, including agreeing to a two-year contract extension with forward B.J. Crombeen.
"We are pleased to have B.J. with the Lightning organization for another two years," general manager Steve Yzerman said. "He has proven to be a hard-nosed right winger and reliable penalty killer, as well as a very popular teammate of outstanding character."
The Lightning also signed forward Tanner Richard to a three-year contract and defenseman Luke Witkowski to a two-year deal. They recalled Mike Angelidis from Syracuse of the AHL and re-assigned Dana Tyrell to Syracuse.
Crombeen, 27, has a goal and seven points to go with a plus-six rating in 30 games this season. He leads the team with 86 penalty minutes. Crombeen was acquired from St. Louis last July.
"I am very thankful to the organization for giving me the opportunity to re-sign for two more years," Crombeen said. "I am very excited to move forward with the group we have and chase a spot in the playoffs."
Richard, 19, has played 52 games with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League with 11 goals, 62 points and 94 penalty minutes this season. He ranks first on the Storm and ninth in the league with 51 assists and is third on the team with a plus-18 rating.
Richard, a third-round draft pick last year, has 24 goals, 110 points and 140 penalty minutes in 95 career OHL games.
Witkowski had two goals, eight assists and 46 penalty minutes in 38 games for Western Michigan this season. He was drafted by the Lightning in the sixth round of the 2008 draft.
Angelidis, 27, has 10 goals and 21 points to go along with 142 penalty minutes in 64 games with the Crunch this season. He made his NHL debut on Jan. 24, 2012 and recorded a goal and five penalty minus in six games with the Lightning last season.
Tyrell has played in 116 NHL games for the Lightning over the past four seasons, and the 2007 second-round pick has a plus-one rating in 12 games this season. He has also played in 15 games for the crunch, scoring five goals.
