The Basics
Name: Tyler Motte
Position: Forward
Counting Stats: 69 Games, 6 Goals, 3 Assists, 12:27 TOI
Extra Stats (5v5): 48.84 CF%, 46.79 SF%, 35.0 GF%, 46.09 xGF%, 49.02 HDCF%, .910 On-ice Save Percentage, 6.8 iXG
2023-24 Contract: 1 year, $800,000
Contract Status: Pending unrestricted free agent
The Charts:
The Review
If it feels like we already wrote Tyler Motte’s season review, it’s because we kind of did back in early April. Things didn’t change much when we talked about how important he was to the Lightning defense, other than the revelation that he had broken his ankle in October.
Rather than rehash all of that information again, since things really didn’t change after we published it, we’ll just say that, of all of the unrestricted free agents this summer, we believe that re-signing Tyler Motte would be the most beneficial. Well, second-most beneficial. That Steven Stamkos guy is still pretty important.
Motte was Julien BriseBois’ best free-agency pick up last summer when you consider what he signed for, the role he was asked to play, and how he performed throughout the season. If the Bolts can bring him back on a similar deal, it would be a boon for the defensive style the organization has been striving to recapture over the last two seasons. He was an upgrade over some of the veterans that the Lightning had put on the ice in previous season such as Pat Maroon, Corey Perry, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Let’s face it, every one of those charts listed above show one thing – Tyler Motte helps a team’s defense.
“Wait, his goals for percentage was garbage! How can he be a solid defensive player if the other team is scoring 65% of the goals when he’s on the ice?”
Well, imaginary voice, that’s the fun of numbers and statistics. Yes, by that one stat it was a rough defensive year for Mr. Motte. However, the discrepancy in that number lies mostly in the fact that the Lightning never scored when he was on the ice. In 694 5v5 minutes, Motte only got to join in a goal line 14 times. That 1.21 GF/60 rate was the lowest of any full-time player (Luke Glendening was next at 1.3 GF/60). The flip side is that Motte was only on the ice for 26 goals against at 5v5, with his 2.25 GA/60 6th among players that qualified for these post-season reviews.
Offense died when Motte was on the ice, which is ideal for a fourth-line winger. Motte was strong in his own zone and solid in getting the puck into the offensive zone as shown by his zone entries number. On both sides of the ice, most of the shots that were generated came from less-dangerous areas. That’s good on defense, but not great offensively.
On a team where a commitment to defense was a constant struggle, Tyler Motte had an exceptionally strong season (and is further proof why +/- is a flawed stat). At 29-years-old, after a couple of one-year deals, Motte is likely looking for a multi-year deal that will provide some stability. He could be a beneficiary of the rising salary cap and a team that needs veteran, defensive depth at forward could kick him a contract in the $1.2 – $1.5 million range, something that would test the upper limits of the Lightning re-signing him.
