Lightning sign Gage Goncalves to two-year contract

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced on Tuesday that the team has signed forward Gage Goncalves to a two-year contract.

The deal will pay Goncalves $1.1 million in 2025-2026 and $1.3 million in 2026-2027 for an average annual value and salary cap hit of $1.2 million.

The Lightning selected Goncalves with the No. 62 overall pick at the end of the second round of the 2020 NHL entry draft.

Goncalves developed into an impact player at the AHL level in the intervening years, culminating in a 2023-2024 season that saw him put up 58 points in 69 games with the Syracuse Crunch.

The 24-year-old then earned his first full-time NHL role this past season, and he proved to be a valuable depth option toward the bottom of the forward unit.

In his 60 regular season appearances, he scored 8 goals and dished out 12 assists for 20 points. The Lightning went on to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they fell to the eventual champion Florida Panthers in the in-state rivalry in five games.

Goncalves was able to produce in that series despite the subpar performance from the team as a whole, putting up four points including a goal.

While he spent most of the season in the NHL, Goncalves did put together another great stint with Syracuse, with 18 points in his 14 appearances with the Crunch.

With this deal finalized, the Lightning’s roster is starting to take shape. The team now has 12 forwards, 6 defensemen and 2 goaltenders signed to NHL contracts and still has a bit over $4 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, to add depth and make further additions if general manager Julien BriseBois so chooses.

The team has no unsigned restricted free agents, and defenseman Nick Perbix is likely to be the lone significant departure in unrestricted free agency.