Lightning Recall Brandon Halverson

The Lightning announced today that they’ve recalled goaltender Brandon Halverson from AHL Syracuse. It’s likely he’ll back up Andrei Vasilevskiy for tonight’s regular-season finale against the Rangers, per Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider.

Tampa Bay was forced to dress emergency backup Kyle Konin for Monday’s overtime win over the Red Wings. Jonas Johansson was a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. He’s yet to practice since and isn’t on the ice this morning, so he’ll be missing a second straight game tonight. It’s not yet clear if his availability to back up Vasilevskiy for Game 1 of the first round against the Canadiens this weekend is in question.

Halverson has emerged as the Lightning’s clear-cut third-stringer over the past two seasons. The 30-year-old was once a fairly highly-touted prospect, going to the Rangers in the second round of the 2014 draft, but he only made one relief appearance for them in the 2017-18 campaign before being non-tendered a year later. After nearly retiring from hockey following the 2021 season and restarting his career the following season in Germany’s second division, he signed a series of minor-league deals in Tampa’s system that culminated in him receiving a two-year, two-way NHL contract midway through last season.

He hasn’t played a ton for the Bolts, though, and his numbers are poor when he has. He made one start last season, allowing five goals on 24 shots for a .792 SV%, and made one six-second relief appearance earlier this year while Johansson was dealing with an equipment issue against the Islanders back on Dec. 13.

For Syracuse, though, he’s been a good starting option. Since joining the organization in 2023-24, Halverson has amassed a .911 SV%, 2.29 GAA, 12 shutouts, and a 53-25-24 record in 99 games. That includes a .906 mark in 42 outings this season on the heels of an All-Star nod last year.

Halverson is a pending unrestricted free agent. His AHL backup, Ryan Fanti, is also under team control with the Bolts and has put up comparable numbers this season. 2024 seventh-round pick Harrison Meneghin is their other goalie under contract, a first-year pro who’s struggled in his ECHL minutes this year. There will still be a place for Halverson as a third-string option next season, so unless they’ve identified an open-market candidate they prefer, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bolts extend Halverson before July.