Tampa Bay Lightning forward Gage Goncalves proved this season that he is ready for the NHL level. After starting the campaign with just two points in his first 27 games, Goncalves finished the campaign with 18 points in his final 33 regular-season games. He was also impactful in the Bolts' short playoff run, posting one goal and four points in five games.
Overall, Goncalves had a solid rookie season for the Lightning and emerged as a nice part of their forward group in the process. Due to this, it is absolutely apparent that the Lightning must re-sign the 24-year-old forward this offseason.
Goncalves is a pending restricted free agent, so he will still be under team control this summer. However, given how well he performed down the stretch for the Lightning, it would be wise for them to lock him up on his next contract as soon as possible.
Goncalves demonstrated this season that he is capable of providing solid secondary offensive production. When noting that he is still young and getting used to the NHL level, there is clear reason to believe that he can hit another new level next season. Due to this, getting him signed to his next contract should be one of the Lightning's top priorities from here.
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