The Tampa Bay Lighting are closing on a one-way, two-year contract with defenceman Jake Dotchin, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

Dotchin, 23, made his debut with the Lightning last season, appearing in 35 games and posting 11 assists. He scored four goals and added nine assists in 35 games at the AHL level. Dotchin played 19 games in the AHL playoffs with the Syracuse Crunch, posting six assists and 43 penalty minutes.

Dotchin was among the players the Lightning exposed in last month's expansion draft, though the team reached a side deal to send Jason Garrison, Nikita Gusev, a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to protect Dotchin, among others. 

As Smith notes, Dotchin paired with Victor Hedman during his time with the Lightning this season.

He owns an element of grit to his game and racked up 35 penalty minutes in his 35 NHL games. He posted 339 penalty minutes in 157 AHL games over the past three seasons. He was suspended three games in the AHL playoffs for a hit which caused ligament damage to Frederik Gauthier's knee.

The Lightning will have two restricted free agents remaining once Dotchin re-signs in Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat - both are arbitration eligible.