Tuesday: The team has officially announced the signing.
Friday: The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed RFA forward Michael Bournival to a one-year, two-way deal worth $650K at the NHL level, reports TVASports’ Renaud Lavoie. The 25 year-old forward was arbitration eligible.
The former 3rd round pick in 2010 has bounced between the AHL and NHL in his short career. Originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche, Bournival was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Ryan O’Byrne. He did not receive a qualifying offer from the Canadiens after the 2015-16 season, and signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the offseason as a free agent.
Last season he put up 2G and 1A in 19 games for the Lightning, and 9G and 10A in 38 games for the AHL Syracuse Crunch. He scored an additional 8G and 7A in 22 playoff games for those same Crunch. With 108 career NHL games under his belt, time is running out for Bournival to make an impact at the NHL level. The Lightning do not seem to have room for a player to make the team out of camp, so Bournival will have to capitalize on any mid-season call-ups.