Lightning recall Sam O’Reilly from AHL, place Brayden Point on IR

The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled top forward prospect Sam O’Reilly from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.

In a corresponding move, the Lightning placed center Brayden Point on the injured reserve list. The 30-year-old forward left Sunday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets early with an undisclosed injury and did not return.

O’Reilly, 20, skated on a line with Yanni Gourde and Jake Guentzel and also took reps on the club’s No. 1 power-play unit at Lightning practice on Tuesday. The 6’2″ forward has two goals and four points in 12 games with the Crunch to start the 2026-27 regular season.

Point logged 5:35 of ice time over just six shifts with the Lightning in their 4-3 loss to the Jets on Sunday. Speaking with reporters after the game, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said he hopes Point’s injury is “not too serious” but added that he expects the veteran center to miss some time.

O’Reilly could officially slot in for Point and make his NHL debut as soon as Wednesday, when the Lightning pay the KeyBank Center a visit for a game against the Buffalo Sabres at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

The Edmonton Oilers originally selected O’Reilly in the first round (No. 32 overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. The Toronto product appeared in parts of four seasons with the OHL’s London Knights, winning two league championships, before being traded to the Kitchener Rangers, with whom he won a third league championship. O’Reilly also won the Memorial Cup with London in 2025 and Kitchener in 2026.

The Lightning acquired O’Reilly from the Oilers in July 2025 in a one-for-one trade for Hobey Baker Award winner Ike Howard, whom the Lightning drafted in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft but were unable to sign. Since the trade, Howard has collected three goals and eight points in 42 NHL games with the Oilers.