Paul signs seven-year, $22.05 million contract with Lightning

The 27-year-old forward, who could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 13, had 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 80 games this season, including 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 21 games with the Lightning after being acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators for forward Mathieu Joseph and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on March 20.

“Obviously I love it here,” Paul said Tuesday. “I’m a free agent this summer, but Tampa is definitely a spot I really enjoyed. I like the guys on the team. I’m speaking to my agent right now and he knows my thoughts. We’ll see.

“Everything about this organization is first class. I definitely got a first-row seat to that with how I was treated and how my family was treated. And the other thing is the group of guys in that room. The leaders they have in there, all the way down to the staff, is unbelievable. All they want is success. Everyone is all together. Everyone has a voice.”

Paul had nine points (five goals, four assists) in 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including each Tampa Bay goal in its 2-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of Eastern Conference First Round. He had two goals in the Stanley Cup Final, which the Lightning lost to the Colorado Avalanche in six games.

He was in the final season of a two-year, $2.7 million contract ($1.35 million average annual value) he signed with the Senators on Oct. 14, 2020.

“I think we had a good read on him as a player,” general manager Julien BriseBois said Tuesday. “I think him getting to play in NHL playoffs, which he hadn’t done before, allowed him to showcase how much of a gamer he is.

“If anything, that’s probably the quality that stands out to me. He’s a big-time gamer. He fought through a lot of injuries for a long time and still performed at a very high level through Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Very impressive.”

BriseBois said Paul played through a sprained AC joint in his shoulder.

Selected by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round (No. 101) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Paul has 80 points (34 goals, 46 assists) in 248 regular-season games with the Senators and Lightning.