The Tampa Bay Lightning took a big bite out of their training camp roster on a day that left 37 players still in the mix, trimming 21 names with one preseason game left and a week to go before the regular season begins.
Most of the moves point straight to Syracuse, which is no surprise with the Crunch set to open training camp on Sunday. The Lightning also had a number of players sticking around for now to help fill out practice groups and dress for the final preseason game, since most of the veterans have already reached their two-game limit.
Three players were placed on waivers: Simon Lundmark, Olivier Rodrigue, and Steven Santini. All three are expected to clear and head to Syracuse once that happens tomorrow.
A separate group was released from their PTOs: Clark Bishop, Elliot Desnoyers, Shawn Element, Brendan Furry, Luke Glendening, Kole Lind, Tommy Miller, and Zach Uens. With the exception of Glendening and Lind, those players all have AHL contracts with the Crunch.
The players assigned directly to Syracuse were Tristan Allard, Cooper Flinton, Ethan Gauthier, Dyllan Gill, Jonas Johansson, Tomas Kralovic, Connor Kurth, Harrison Meneghin, Milo Roelens, and Gabriel Szturc. Johansson already cleared waivers, so he’ll begin the season in Syracuse, though that could always change later. Most of the names on that list should have roles with the Crunch, while Meneghin may also see some time in Orlando.
The bigger picture, though, is what’s left in camp. Beyond the obvious locks such as Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, there are still players battling for open roster spots, and a few more cuts are coming soon.
Mads Sogaard is expected to back up Dennis Hildeby on Saturday before landing on waivers. Michael Callahan, Jared Tinordi, Matteo Pietroniro, and Max Groshev are the defensemen likely headed next to Syracuse. On the forward side, Noah Steen, Scott Sabourin, Jakob Pelletier, Lucas Mercuri, Dylan Duke, and Nicholas Abruzzese appear to be in the next wave of cuts.
If those 11 players are moved out, the Lightning would be down to 26 in camp. Yanni Gourde is definitely starting the season on Injured Reserve, and Dominic James will probably join him, which would bring the group to 24.
That still leaves Conor Geekie, Sam O’Reilly, Benjamin Rautiainen, and Jansen Harkins fighting for jobs, and all of them should see some game action. Tampa Bay could choose to carry eight defensemen to start the season, but with everyone healthy, that doesn’t seem likely.
The three real bubble cases are Emil Lilleberg, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, and Max Crozier. Each would need to pass through waivers if the Lightning decide to send him down, which makes those calls tricky. With roster spots disappearing fast, the path to 23 is getting tight, and the forwards on the bubble have made strong cases through camp.
In Other News...
Senators Suddenly Have A Goalie Depth Question Behind Linus Ullmark
The Senators moved quickly to shore up their crease after losing Leevi Merilainen on waivers to Vancouver, bringing in Jonas Johansson from the Lightning to give them another option behind Linus Ullmark. For Ottawa, it is a practical depth move at a position where one injury or one roster domino can change the look of the entire group in a hurry.
Johansson arrives with the profile of a veteran backup, having spent the past three seasons in Tampa Bay and logged time behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. His career numbers are modest, including a .888 save percentage and 43 wins, but the deal gives Ottawa another experienced goalie to lean on while it sorts out the rest of its netminding picture. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Roster Battle Got More Interesting In First Panthers Tuneup
The first preseason look against Florida offered Tampa Bay at least one useful development: Jansen Harkins kept making his case. In a 5-3 loss to the Panthers, Harkins scored twice and Connor Geekie added the other Lightning goal, giving the coaching staff an early reminder that the final spots on the roster may not sort themselves out quickly. Harkins arrived with something to prove after appearing in 44 games last season with Anaheim, and nights like this are the kind that can push a fringe player deeper into the conversation.
The result also showed how thin the margins can be in these tuneups, where one late play can tilt the final score and sharpen the feeling that every shift matters. Tampa Bay is still sorting through competition for jobs, and Harkins performance only makes that battle more interesting as camp unfolds. For a team trying to identify who belongs, the opener against Florida gave them some answers and left at least one important question hanging. [Read more 🡒]