The Tampa Bay Lightning made their goaltending picture clearer on Wednesday, putting Jonas Johansson on waivers as the team keeps tightening its roster ahead of October 1st.
The move points to Dennis Hildeby as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s backup for the upcoming season. Hildeby, acquired in the trade that sent Nick Paul to Toronto, made a strong first impression with 23 saves in his preseason debut Tuesday night.
Johansson’s time in Tampa had already started to look vulnerable once Hildeby arrived. General manager Julien BriseBois said he would work with Johansson and his agent to find the best possible landing spot, and the waiver move makes that intent official.
Johansson did have stretches where he filled in well when Vasilevskiy was hurt, but his overall run with the Lightning was uneven. In 70 games for the Bolts, he went 32-23-10* with a 3.28 GAA, .889 SV%, and -11.87 GSAx.
BriseBois has said he didn’t enter the offseason looking to replace Johansson, but the numbers help explain why the Lightning were comfortable making a change. With Vasilevskiy in net, the backup job is about stopping the shots you’re expected to stop, and Johansson simply didn’t do that often enough.
He had good stretches, but too many games featured one or two goals that he should have handled. In the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference, Tampa Bay can’t afford those freebies.
Now the Lightning wait to see how the waiver process plays out. If another team claims Johansson, Tampa clears the full $1.25 million cap hit and $775,000 salary.
If he passes through waivers, the Lightning can send him to Syracuse and get most of the cap hit off the books while they see what develops. Injuries can change things quickly, especially early in the season, and a move that isn’t available right now could become one later.
If Johansson does land in Syracuse, the Crunch’s crease could get crowded fast. Mads Sogaard and Olivier Rodrigue are also expected to be on the roster once they clear waivers in the next week or so. Johansson was one of several goaltenders placed on waivers Wednesday, along with former Bolts Spencer Martin and Pheonix Copley.
In Other News...
Lightning Bubble Players Enter A Crucial Stretch Before Florida Showdown
The Lightnings preseason trip through Nashville offered a reminder that the roster picture is still very much in flux, even after an overtime loss to the Predators. Jeffrey Viel accounted for both Tampa Bay goals, but the bigger takeaway for the staff came off the ice, where the club began trimming its camp and narrowing the competition as the calendar turns toward the final exhibition slate.
There is still plenty of sorting to do before Florida becomes the next checkpoint, with more than a full camps worth of bodies still in the mix and some tough decisions looming at every position. For players on the bubble, this is the part of September that can define whether they are staying in the room or heading back to junior, and the Lightning will keep using the remaining dress rehearsals to separate the hopefuls from the survivors. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Preseason Is Already Raising One Big Roster Question
The preseason has only just started, but Tampa Bay has already gotten a useful look at some fresh faces. After splitting two games with Nashville, the Lightning have seen early signs from newcomers John Carlson, Ilya Mikheyev and Jeffery Viel, while prospect Sam O'Reilly has also flashed enough to stand out in a group that is still sorting itself out. With the roster still in evaluation mode, those first impressions matter, especially for a team trying to blend experience with younger depth.
Conor Geekie has been part of that conversation too, even if his value has shown up in different ways from night to night. He delivered the game-winner in the opener and then handled himself well in the faceoff circle in the rematch, a reminder that preseason for a player like him is about more than just scoring chances. The next test comes against Florida in a back-to-back series, and with roles still up for grabs, these games should sharpen the competition even more. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Face Growing Kucherov Tension As Free Agency Looms
Nikita Kucherov is back in the familiar spot of being central to Tampa Bays long-term planning while his current deal ticks toward its final year. The Lightning winger remains one of the franchises defining players, and with unrestricted free agency set for next July, his contract situation has become one of the most important storylines around the team even if the conversations themselves are staying private.
Julien BriseBois and agent Dan Milstein have been talking about a new contract, but so far those discussions have not produced an agreement. Kucherov is understood to be seeking a meaningful raise, which only adds to the pressure on a front office that has to balance the present with the future. For now, the Lightning still have time to work through it, and this does not appear to be the kind of negotiation that has to be settled overnight. [Read more 🡒]