Santini has regularly been recalled when injuries arise on Tampa's blueline this season, but with Ryan McDonagh expected to returned from injury, he has been reassigned to Syracuse (AHL). The 30-year-old Santini has one assist in eight games with the Lightning this season.
Santini will draw in and skate alongside Declan Carlile on the third pair, who is also making his season debut. Maxwell Crozier and Erik Cernak (lower-body) will draw out of the Lightning lineup.
Santini played one game with Tampa Bay Lightning last season, but has primarily been an AHL player for past five seasons. The 30-year-old defenseman has four points (0G / 4A) in 13 games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) this season.
Santini has had short stints in the NHL in nine of the last 10 seasons, but he has never been able to establish himself as a permanent fixture, limited to only 124 career games. The 30-year-old defenseman spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, where he scored 17 points (6G / 11A).
Victor Hedman took warmups with the team but was a last minute scratch, so Santini is a surprise addition to the lineup. It's Santini's first NHL game since playing four games with the Blues in the 2022-23 season.
Santini has 123 games of NHL experience but has exclusively been an AHL player since a four-game stint with the St. Louis Blues in the 2022-23 season. The 29-year-old defenseman has five points (2G / 3A) in 14 games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) this season.
Tampa's defensive depth got a little bit deeper on Tuesday with the addition of Steven Santini on a one-year, two-way contract. The 29-year-old has 23 points (5G/18A) in 123 career NHL games since making his debut in 2015-16.
Santini had an assist, two PIMs and five SOG through four games with St.Louis in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 AAV with Los Angeles. The 28-year-old defenseman was drafted by New Jersey in the second-round of the 2013 draft (42nd overall) and brings five goals, 23 points and 57 PIMs across 123 career NHL games played to the Kings.
With Nick Leddy out with an upper-body injury, Santini will make his season debut in Montreal, his 120th career NHL game. Santini has 22 career points (5G / 17A).
Santini had one-year left on his three-year deal that paid him $1.416 million AAV. The buyout will cost Nashville just $41,667 against the cap in 2021 and $275K in 2022. Santini appeared in just two games with the Predators last season, playing the majority of the year in Milwaukee (AHL).
Santini, who was acquired in the P.K. Subban trade, has been in Milwaukee all season. The 24-year-old has five assists in 17 AHL games and 21 points (5G / 16A) in 114 career NHL games.
Santini, who is a former second-round pick (2013), is a big (6-foot-2, 205 lbs) defensive-defenseman. The 24-year-old has just 21 points (5G / 16A) in 114 career NHL games but should be more than capable of eating up 15 minutes per night on the Predators third pairing.
Santini has been a healthy scratch for the last four games but will replace Eric Gryba on Thursday. Santini has registered two assists in 18 games this season.
Santini has been a healthy scratch for the last three games but will replace a banged up Ben Lovejoy on Thursday. Santini has just one assist in 12 games this season.
Santini was activated from IR on December 1st but hasn’t played since October 20th. Santini does not have a point in one NHL game or three AHL games.
