The Tampa Bay Lightning are again recalling a depth defenseman as they grapple with multiple injuries. Tampa Bay announced that they have recalled Simon Lundmark from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
Lundmark’s recall indicates that Erik Černák remains unavailable and could be for the entirety of the Lightning’s upcoming three-game road trip. He’ll serve as the team’s seventh defenseman in the case of another injury, similarly to how the Lightning used youngster Maxim Groshev earlier this week.
Unlike Groshev, Lundmark, 25, is a comparatively veteran presence, although he hasn’t yet debuted in the NHL. He was originally selected with the 51st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.
In his draft year and the following two years, Lundmark played for the SHL’s Linköping HC. It was a relatively poor showing, especially considering he was drafted in the second round. He scored two goals and 16 points in 118 games with a -20 rating.
Regardless, the Jets brought Lundmark to North America for the 2021-22 season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Although his offense improved, Lundmark continued to play subpar defense, scoring 16 goals and 62 points in 254 games, with a -38 rating.
Having seen enough, Winnipeg non-tendered Lundmark this past offseason, and he signed a two-year, $1.55MM agreement with the Lightning on the opening day of free agency. Unsurprisingly, he failed to crack the team’s opening night roster and was waived in late September. In his first handful of games with the Crunch, he’s registered two assists in 15 games with a -4 rating.