Tampa Bay Lightning News

After splitting last season between Calgary and Philadelphia, Jakob Pelletier will join his third organization in two years after signing a three-year, $2.525 million contract ($841,600 AAV) with Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The 24-year-old was Calgary's 2019 1st-round pick (26th overall) and has amassed 11 goals and 29 points in 86 games across three seasons. He will likely play a bottom-six role in Tampa Bay in the upcoming season.

Katchouk has 36 points (15G / 21A) in 176 career NHL games but spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL. The 27-year-old forward scored 49 points (21G / 28A) in 67 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) last season.

Lundmark was the 51st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft but has yet to play an NHL game. He has spent the previous four seasons in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, including scoring 14 points (4G / 10A) in 66 games last season.

Holmberg was a sixth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The 26-year-old had spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs organization, including scoring 49 points (19G / 30A) in 159 career games. He joins the Tampa Bay Lightning on a two-year deal worth $1.55 million AAV and will add some depth to their bottom-six forward group.

After three successful seasons with the Toronto Marlies (AHL), Nick Abruzzese has signed a one-year, two-way contract in Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old left-winger has appeared in 11 games (3 Pts) with the Maple Leafs since 2022-23 but spent the majority of his professional career in the AHL where he averaged nearly 50 Pts a season across three years.

Fanti is an undrafted goalie who has split time between the AHL and ECHL over his five-year professional career. The 25-year-old posted an impressive 1.45 GAA and .946 SV% in seven appearances with the Syracuse Crunch last season (3-1-0).

Allard is an undrafted 23-year-old forward who has spent the previous three seasons with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and will remain in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization after signing a two-year, entry-level contract. He scored 16 points (7G / 9A) in 45 games last season with Syracuse.

Fresh off a successful eight-goal, 20-point rookie campaign, Tampa Bay has signed Gage Goncalves to a two-year, $2.4 million contract extension ($1,200,000 AAV). The 24-year-old forward was Tampa Bay's 2020 2nd Round Pick (62nd overall) and is expected to take a bottom-six role to start the 2025-26 season.

Finley made his NHL debut during the 2024-25 season but spent most of the season in Syracuse (AHL), where he had 28 points (14G / 14A) in 40 games. The 22-year-old forward will likely begin the 2025-26 season in the AHL.

Crozier only appeared in five games with Tampa Bay in 2024-25 and failed to pick up a point, but has earned himself a three-year extension worth $775,000 AAV. The 25-year-old stay-at-home defenseman was Tampa Bay's 2019 4th-round pick (120th overall).

After an eye-opening seven-game showing with Syracuse (AHL) in 2024-25, Ryan Fanti has signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 with Tampa Bay. The 25-year-old netminder was originally signed as an undrafted free agent to Edmonton in 2022 and spent the majority of his career in the ECHL before breaking out last season. With Syracuse, he had a 3-1-0 record, .946 SV% and 1.45 GAA,

Gourde spent the first six seasons of his career in Tampa Bay before heading back to Seattle for four years before being traded back to Tampa Bay at last year's Trade Deadline and has signed a six-year, $13.98 million contract extension ($2,330,000 AAV to remain with the Lightning. The 33-year-old forward reached 30+ points for an eighth straight season in 2024-25 after putting up seven goals and 31 points in 57 games between Seattle and Tampa.

Despite only having one assist in 10 playoff games, Pontus Holmberg will draw back into Toronto's lineup on their 2nd line for Game 6 in Florida on Friday as he replaces Nicolas Robertson. The 26-year-old winger set career highs during the regular season with 19 points in 68 games played, but has struggled to find any sort of offence during the postseason with one point in 10 playoff games played.

Holmberg and Calle Jarnkrok will both serve as healthy scratches for the first time in this post-season as the Maple Leafs opt to shake up their lineup ahead of Game 5. David Kampf and Nick Robertson will draw into the lineup in their place.

Tampa Bay has brought back their backup goaltender for two more seasons on Wednesday after they signed the 29-year-old Swede to a two-year, $2.5 million ($1,250,000 AAV) contract extension. The towering netminder was only called up 19 times in 2024-25, and produced a 9-6-3 record with a 3.13 GAA and .895 SV%.

With their backs against the wall, Vasilevskiy and the Lightning will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 4-2 loss in Game 4. After a pair of strong performances in Games 2 and 3, the former Vezina Trophy winner stopped just 19 of the 22 shots he faced on Monday. Vasilevskiy owns a 2.79 GAA and an uncharacteristically low .884 SV% through the opening four games of the playoffs. The Lightning enter Wednesday's must-win game at -115 on the money line.

Hagel returned from a one-game suspension on Monday but suffered an undisclosed injury, playing on 11:04 time-on-ice, and will not play in Game 5. The 26-year-old Hagel had a tremendous 2024-25 season, scoring 90 points (35G / 55A) in 82 games but has zero points a -4 plus/minus through three postseason contests.

The Lightning will of course stick with their franchise netminder between the pipes for the fourth game of their opening round series against the Panthers. Vasilevskiy was phenomenal in Tampa Bay's 5-1 victory in Game 3, allowing just a single goal on 34 shots. The former Vezina Trophy winner has rebounded nicely after a rocky performance in Game 1, posting a .964 SV% across the last two games. The Lightning enter action on Monday at +140 on the money line.

Hagel did not play in Game 3, serving a suspension for an illegal hit on Florida's Aleksander Barkov, but will return to the lineup for Game 4. The 26-year-old Hagel had a career-best season, scoring 90 points (35G / 55A) in 82 games, but has a -4 plus/minus and zero points through two postseason games.