Lightning place Jack Finley on waivers
The Tampa Bay Lightning placed center Jack Finley on waivers Friday.
Cleared Jack Finley (TB) on waivers
Josh Davies (FLA) & Juho Lammikko (NJ) on waivers for the purposes of contract termination
Finley, 23, is now available for the rest of NHL’s teams to claim within the next 24 hours. The waiver priority order is the inverse of the league’s standings, meaning the Vancouver Canucks have the first opportunity to claim Finley, and the Colorado Avalanche have the last.
If Finley clears waivers, the Lightning are expected to assign him to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
The St. Louis, Missouri native played the majority of his junior hockey with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, including a 2019-20 campaign in which he had 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 61 games. This strong season led to him getting selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Finley’s final junior season in 2021-22 saw him get traded from Spokane to the Winnipeg Ice midway through the year, and then put up seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 15 playoff games for Winnipeg.
He became a full-time professional in the 2022-23 season, registering 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points in 67 games for Syracuse. Finley spent the vast majority of his time in the AHL over the next couple of seasons, getting into just one game with the Lightning last season.
This season, Finley finally got his first extended look at the NHL level, managing just two goals and an assist for three points in 22 games for Tampa Bay. Over 164 career AHL games, Finley has compiled 40 goals and 44 assists for 84 points.
Finley is in the first season of a three-year, $2.325 million contract with the Lightning. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the 2027-28 season.
Tampa Bay’s next game is against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 25th following the Olympic break.