Tampa Bay Lightning place Gabriel Fortier on waivers

The Tampa Bay Lightning placed winger Gabriel Fortier on waivers on Sunday for the purpose of reassignment.

Fortier had undergone surgery to an undisclosed injury during the offseason, so as a result, he started the season on the Lightning’s injured non-roster list. While Fortier wasn’t originally expected to return to action until December, this move indicates that he is close to being ready, as he needed to clear waivers to play in the AHL.

Fortier spent the entirety of his 2023-24 season with the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he had 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 62 games.

Fortier also had 1 goal and 4 assist for 5 points in 8 playoff games as the Crunch were swept in the North Division Finals by the Cleveland Monsters.

Fortier has gotten into 11 games at the NHL level over the course of his career, all coming in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons with the Lightning. He has 1 goal in those 11 games, with the lone goal being the opening goal in a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on December 21, 2021.

Fortier was a second-round pick for the Bolts in the 2018 NHL Draft out of the QMJHL. He spent three more seasons in the QMJHL, although he had a brief four-game stint in the AHL in the 2018-19 season before making it into the league full time in the 2020-21 season, and then making his NHL debut the following season. He’s entering his sixth season of pro hockey this year.

Fortier is currently signed to a one-year, $775,000 contract, and will be a Group 6 unrestricted free agent in the 2025 offseason.

The Lightning currently sit in second in the Atlantic Division with a 5-3-0 record. They’ll look to build off of Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Washington Capitals when they host former captain Steven Stamkos and the Nashville Predators on Monday at 7:30 p.m. EST.