Brenden Morrow signs 1-year deal with Lightning

Brenden Morrow walks like his groin is one bad stretch from snapping and like the rest of his body is being kept in place by electrical tape and happy thoughts. But it’s been that way for the last few seasons – it’s like a warrior’s swagger.

Morrow signed a 1-year deal for $1.55 million with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, which is $500,000 more than the “show me” contract he signed with the St. Louis Blues last season. He scored 25 points in 71 games, including four of his 13 goals on the power play. Although his ice time was just 11:54 per game.

From the Lightning:

Morrow, 6-foot, 205 pounds, played in 71 games with the St. Louis Blues in 2013-14, recording 13 goals and 25 points with a plus-1 rating.  He scored four power-play goals and three game-winning goals.  Morrow ranked eighth on the team for goals and averaged 11:54 in ice time per game.

A native of Carlyle, Saskatchewan, Morrow is a veteran of 921 NHL games with the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and Blues. He has accumulated 262 goals, 567 points and is a plus-108. He is a seven-time 20-goal scorer and has reached the 30-goal plateau on two occasions.  He served as the captain of the Stars from 2006 until he was traded to Pittsburgh during the 2012-13 season. Morrow has appeared in 94 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, notching 19 goals and 46 points.

Morrow has represented Canada at numerous international events.  He won the Silver Medal at the 1999 World Junior Championships, the Gold Medal at the 2004 IIHF World Championships and Silver in 2005.  He also was part of the Canadian team that won the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. 

Morrow scored a pair of goals and added an assist at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, where the Canadians won the Gold Medal. The 35-year-old was drafted in the first round, 25th overall, at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.  He was traded from Dallas to Pittsburgh on March 24, 2013.  He signed with St. Louis as a free agent on September 23, 2013.

Obviously it’s a low risk deal, and obviously Morrow can give that young Lightning dressing room the kind of veteran presence and leadership it needs after their previous veteran leader abandoned them last trade deadline.