Penguins Sign Declan Carlile
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Declan Carlile to a two-year, $3MM ($1.5MM AAV) contract.
Carlile, 26, is coming off his first lengthy test in the NHL. Due to the number of injuries the Tampa Bay Lightning faced last season, Carlile garnered much more ice time at the NHL level than he otherwise would have. He played relatively well, scoring one goal and three points in 42 games with a +5 rating, averaging 14:47 of ice time per game.
Additionally, the Hartland, MI native finished with 38 blocked shots and 51 hits, proving that he’s unafraid to engage physically. Furthermore, he had quality defensive metrics, finishing with a 49.0% CorsiFor and a 91.7% on-ice SV% at even strength.
As a left-handed defenseman, Carlile should have more access to ice time with the Penguins. Unless the team brings back Ryan Shea, Carlile should have the opportunity to fit into a top-four role behind Samuel Girard. Pittsburgh traded away Parker Wotherspoon, so the team may have signed Carlile as his replacement next to Erik Karlsson.
Regardless, even if Carlile doesn’t work out with the Penguins, the team didn’t commit too much to him. He is signed through the 2028-29 season at a relatively low cap hit. Unless the team makes additional moves to their defensive corps this offseason, Carlile should begin the 2026-27 season on the opening night roster.
Lightning’s Corey Perry, Oliver Bjorkstrand To Reach Free Agency
The Tampa Bay Lightning should have the bulk of their projected $13.17MM in cap space available when free agency kicks off. Tampa Bay is planning to let wingers Oliver Bjorkstrand and Corey Perry hit the open market, general manager Julien BriseBois shared with reporters including NHL.com’s Benjamin Pierce following the 2026 NHL Draft. BriseBois added that the Lightning remain in negotiations with defenseman Declan Carlile – the only Group-Six UFA on the NHL roster.
This news will, most notably, face the 41-year-old Perry with the question of retirement once again. The veteran winger has survived on year-by-year contracts since 2023. A trio of deals led him through tenures with the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings before a return to Tampa Bay at the 2026 Trade Deadline. He remains a productive scorer, finishing the 2025-26 season with 17 goals and 37 points in 72 games – his highest scoring since a 40-point campaign in 2021-22.
Then again, Perry is also reaching his golden years as one of just three players age-40 or older still active in the NHL. His peers are split on their future – with defenseman Brent Burns re-signing with the Colorado Avalanche while legendary scorer Alex Ovechkin is weighing retirement. Perry sits between the two, likely still capable of playing out another contract but faced with the task of finding it on the open market. He would be a depth addition wherever he ends up, capable of rivaling 20 goals and playing chippy hockey. Perry’s last contract carried a $2MM cap hit, a mark he could continue to hover on his next deal.
While Perry weighs retirement, the Lightning will face much tougher questions in how to replace Bjorkstrand. The 30 year old remained a productive piece of the Lightning offense last season. He finished the year with 12 goals and 32 points, scored while in a third-line role in the lineup. That scoring stretched out what seemed to be a shaky fit in the Tampa Bay lineup since the Lightning acquired Bjorkstrand at the 2025 Trade Deadline. Prior to his Florida move, Bjorkstrand had posted four consecutive seasons of at least 40 points, including a career-high 59 points in 2023-24.
With that scoring streak coming to an end, a change of scenery only seems right as Bjorkstrand considers a deal that could carry him through the rest of his career. He will offer a nice bit of depth scoring and power-play upside on the open market – having averaged 21 goals and 48 points per 82 games played across his 11 seasons in the NHL. Coming off an annual $5.4MM cap hit, Bjorkstrand could find his way into the $6MM mark as part of a shallow free agent class. That number would eat up nearly half of Tampa Bay’s available cap space and should come with a promotion to second-line minutes, something the Bolts can’t provide.
How Tampa Bay responds to Bjorkstrand’s move could be telling. Young forward Conor Geekie played admirably through a demotion to the AHL early into the season. That perseverance could be rewarded with a full-time, third-line role similar to the one Geekie filled in his rookie 2024-25 season. Tampa Bay could also use their savings to seek out one of the many big fish on the trade market. They may be priced out of Jason Robertson‘s desired contract but could fit the deal of a veteran like Dylan Larkin or Rickard Rakell. Tampa Bay could also try to land a franchise-altering move by acquiring a young star like Matthew Knies. Any major addition would force a shakeup of the lineup – though it’d be one Tampa Bay could weather thanks to the depth provided by Geekie, Dominic James, and Gage Goncalves.
While the offense is in flux, defenseman Carlile should be nicely rewarded for standing up to NHL minutes this season. Carlile was able to appear in 42 games with the Lightning, amid a string of injured defenders. He scored three points and 40 penalty minutes in those appearances, often from a third-pair and defense-oriented role. Carlile has also posted 27 points in 71 AHL games over the last two seasons. His next deal is not likely to shift Tampa Bay’s summer budgeting – but it should reward the 26 year old with a chance to compete for the seventh-defenseman role after a smooth break into the NHL.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports.
Snapshots: Larkin, Stars Injuries, Flames, Carlile
Speaking after today’s draft (video link), Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke publicly for the first time about Dylan Larkin’s trade request. He certainly didn’t commit to moving the center, stating that “My job as the manager of the Detroit Red Wings is always to do what is in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings, and I will act accordingly to that. I cannot make any guarantees, or did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met.” Larkin is believed to have given Detroit a very limited list of teams he’d be willing to be traded to while the team is also wanting comparable-level talent in return instead of draft picks and futures. That will only further complicate those discussions. Yzerman is known to be patient so it could very well take a while for Larkin’s request to be met.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- In his post-draft presser (video link), Stars GM Jim Nill provided a pair of updates on his injured centers. Radek Faksa (foot) underwent a second surgery and the belief is that he’ll be ready for training camp. The veteran was injured during their opening-round series loss to Minnesota. Meanwhile, pivot Tyler Seguin (ACL surgery) is continuing through his recovery and the hope is that he’ll be ready for training camp. Seguin sustained the injury in early December. With Dallas needing to trim salary, the injury uncertainty for these two could make it harder to move one of them in the coming days or weeks.
- Speaking today after the draft (video link), Flames GM Craig Conroy provided an update on injured winger Jonathan Huberdeau. The veteran is back skating after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in the spring and noted that he’s now pain-free for the first time in quite some time. Huberdeau has a lot of work to do in his rehab to be ready for training camp but it looks like he’ll be in good shape for the fall. Conroy also noted that he doesn’t expect to re-sign any of Calgary’s pending unrestricted free agents, a list that includes forwards Victor Olofsson, Justin Kirkland, and Ryan Lomberg, along with defenseman Jake Bean.
- The Lightning are in discussions to try to re-sign pending unrestricted defenseman Declan Carlile, notes Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The 26-year-old played in 42 games for Tampa Bay this past season but it wasn’t enough for him to avoid reaching Group Six UFA status. Carlile had three points in those outings and averaged a little under 15 minutes per game. He’s one of the better Group Six players available so it might cost a bit more than the minimum salary (the rate most players in that type of free agency sign for) to keep him in the fold and not have him test the open market next week.
Lineup Notes: Carlile, Sabourin, Hanifin
The Tampa Bay Lightning are featuring a different lineup from Game 1’s loss to Montreal, as Declan Carlile is filling in for the injured Charle-Edouard D’Astous, shown in lines posted by the team. D’Astous’ status is not surprising, after being injured and not returning after a hard collision, sandwiched between Josh Anderson and Jake Evans.
Entering this season with just three NHL contests under his belt, Carlile ended up playing 42 for the Bolts, recording three points and 40 penalty minutes. Tonight marks the playoff debut for the 25-year-old undrafted Michigan native, who will skate alongside Emil-Martinsen Lilleberg on the third pairing.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin left practice early this afternoon after appearing to tweak something, observed by Danny Webster of The Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 29-year-old was mostly durable this year outside of a short IR stint early in the year, playing 71 games and finishing third among Knights in ice time (22:36). Further details aren’t yet known, the team back in action tonight for Game 2. If Hanifin is unable to go, 33-year-old Ben Hutton could draw into the lineup, with just three playoff games across his whole career, all with Vegas.
- Also in Tampa Bay, 33-year-old Scott Sabourin is also making his playoff debut, replacing Conor Geekie who is scratched, after playing just 8:12 in the opening contest. It’s a nice story for the winger, undrafted and grinding away for seven years in the AHL before his debut with Ottawa in 2019. Sabourin has split duty this year between Tampa Bay and Syracuse almost evenly, and in his 26 games with the big club the veteran has five points and 89 penalty minutes. The decision to ice Sabourin tonight clearly has physicality in mind, and he’ll be hungry to make an impact in that area.
Lightning Activate Declan Carlile
The Tampa Bay Lightning have activated defenseman Declan Carlile off of long-term injured reserve in advance of tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider.
Carlile, 25, has been sidelined since March 12 with a lower-body injury. Before his injury, Carlile was in the midst of the strongest season of his career at the professional level. The former Merrimack College rearguard has flown past his prior career highs in terms of NHL games played, skating in 38 games for the Lightning this season.
Tampa Bay has developed Carlile into a valuable AHL player, and their work in growing his game has begun to bear fruit for their NHL squad. While he’s still a depth contributor for the Lightning, averaging under 15 minutes of ice time per game, he has shown some promise as a shutdown blueliner. Head coach Jon Cooper has even begun to give him some time on the penalty kill.
Set to hit restricted free agency this summer, Carlile has a big opportunity ahead of him in what remains of the season. If he can find a way to get into Cooper’s lineup in the games left in the regular season, or perhaps even crack the team’s playoff lineup, he could further increase his odds of landing a solid contract extension this summer.
This season, Carlile has played on a two-way contract with a $250K AHL salary and $350K guarantee. Given the steps forward Carlile has taken this year, it seems entirely possible, if not likely, that he’ll earn the first one-way NHL contract of his career this summer. Before he gets to that point, though, he’ll need to finish this season with the Lightning in a strong fashion.
Lightning’s Declan Carlile Out Four To Five Weeks With Injury
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that defenseman Declan Carlile will be sidelined for a four- to-five-week period as the result of a lower-body injury. Carlile was placed on injured reserve earlier today.
Today’s news is an unfortunate development for an ascending player who is in the midst of the best season of his professional career. The 6’3″ defenseman was signed by the Lightning as an undrafted college free agent out of Merrimack close to the end of the 2021-22 season. He developed with the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, for the next three full seasons, playing only a small handful of games at the NHL level.
Entering this season, Carlile had just four career games played at the NHL level, but had become a dependable all-around defenseman at the AHL level. This year represents the most significant step forward in Carlile’s pro career, as he has set a career-high with 38 games played at the NHL level, compared to just 16 in the AHL.
His role in the NHL isn’t what it is in the AHL, as he’s largely a reserve player for the Lightning, averaging under 15 minutes of ice time per game. But he has gotten some time on the penalty kill (1:09 per game) and is slowly but surely carving out a place in the NHL.
This injury costs Carlile the chance to skate in what are likely to be high-stakes games for the Lightning as they chase an Atlantic Division title. It also has some financial ramifications for both Carlile and the Lightning. While this injury doesn’t affect what kind of free agent Carlile will be in the summer (there are not enough NHL games left in the season for Carlile to avoid Group-VI UFA status, even if he was healthy), it does cost him the chance to showcase his talents in what are likely to be some of the most important games of the Lightning’s season.
While he still has enough runway to return in time for the playoffs, Carlile would surely be better-positioned to enter the open market were he at full health. In Carlile’s absence, the Lightning are likely to rely more heavily on their existing core of veteran defensemen, an area that is already an area of strength for the team.
Tampa Bay Lightning Place Victor Hedman On IR, Recall Declan Carlile
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that defenseman Victor Hedman has been placed on injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the club has recalled blueliner Declan Carlile from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Hedman’s placement on IR comes as the latest in a long line of defensive injuries the club has had to contend with so far in 2025-26. Tampa has been forced to utilize a large portion of its defensive depth chart stretching down into Syracuse, and as a result, multiple Crunch blueliners, including Carlile, have received NHL games this season.
Carlile played in his first NHL game of the year on Nov. 18 and was with the Lightning playing games up until earlier this month. His most recent NHL game for the club came on Dec. 4.
Despite a defensive group that has been ravaged by injuries, the Lightning have been extremely successful this season. Relying on a patchwork group of defenders hasn’t slowed them down one bit and the team won seven of the nine NHL games Carlile has played in this season.
A 25-year-old undrafted blueliner, Carlile is a scouting and development success story for the Lightning organization. They plucked him out of the NCAA’s Merrimack College after his third season playing NCAA hockey, and he grew into a reliable top-four AHL defenseman during his time in Syracuse. Carlile got into his first NHL game in 2023-24 and has steadily climbed up the Lightning’s organizational ranks to become a higher-priority call-up option as the years have gone on.
Carlile’s development into a reliable call-up option is coming at a great time for the player. The two-year contract extension Carlile signed in June 2024 is set to expire at the end of this season, and the blueliner has set himself up to potentially receive a hefty AHL guarantee on his next deal. Carlile is currently owed a $350K guarantee for 2025-26, and if he can continue earning call-ups and NHL games, he could make a legitimate push to earn a one-way deal as a free agent this upcoming summer.
As for Hedman, he’s set to be sidelined once again in what has been an injury-plagued 2025-26 season. Hedman missed 12 games with an undisclosed injury, and it is unclear at this time whether Hedman’s IR placement today is related to the injury he was dealing with for most of November.
With that said, it’s hardly a good sign that Hedman, now 34 years old, is dealing with persistent injury issues given how healthy and crucial to the Lightning’s success he’s been throughout his Hall of Fame career.
Lightning Reassign Declan Carlile
The Lightning announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Declan Carlile to AHL Syracuse. The move leaves them with no extra defensemen and an open roster spot, an indication that they plan on activating captain Victor Hedman from injured reserve before Saturday’s match with the Islanders. He was a full participant in today’s practice, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider.
Carlile, 25, was recalled from Syracuse in mid-November in the wake of injuries to Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Erik Černák. The latter two remain on injured reserve, but getting Hedman back to anchor the team’s top pairing with J.J. Moser is nonetheless a significant boon for a club that’s navigated its rash of injuries quite well. Since the Lightning lost both Hedman and McDonagh to injuries in their Nov. 8 game against the Capitals, the club has taken hold of first place in the Atlantic Division with an 8-4-0 record. Their .667 points percentage is sixth-best in the league during that frame.
Carlile, a fourth-year pro, had played in each of Tampa’s nine games since his recall. That set a new career-high in games played for the 6’3″ lefty, who made his NHL debut in 2023-24 and made three appearances last season.
The Lightning signed Carlile as an undrafted free agent out of Merrimack College near the end of a 2021-22 season in which he was a Hobey Baker Award nominee and was named to the Hockey East conference’s Second All-Star Team. The Michigan native has been a stable two-way presence at the minor-league level since making the jump to the pro ranks, but had appeared to find a new gear offensively to begin this season, rattling off two goals, eight assists, and 10 points in 15 games before being added to the Lightning’s roster. That’s already more than half the production he managed in 55 appearances for Syracuse last year.
As with his previous NHL stints, Carlile didn’t look entirely out of place in bottom-pairing duties. He scored his second career goal and managed a +1 rating while averaging 12:53 of ice time per game. He recorded eight blocks and nine hits. Among Lightning defensemen with at least 100 minutes at 5-on-5, only Moser has controlled a higher share of scoring chances than Carlile’s 57.1%. That comes from him playing a stout, low-event defensive game – per 60 minutes, no qualified Lightning skater has been on the ice for fewer scoring chances than Carlile at 17.9.
If Carlile played one more game, he would have needed to clear waivers again to return to Syracuse. With his strong play in bottom-pairing minutes and his offensive improvement in the AHL, that wasn’t a guarantee after he did so already during training camp. If he’s called up again and enters game action or is rostered for 13 days, then he’ll need waivers at the conclusion of that recall.
Tampa Bay Lightning Make Multiple Roster Moves
There are hardly any teams currently dealing with as many injuries as the Tampa Bay Lightning. Needing additional depth for their contest tonight against the New Jersey Devils, the Lightning announced they’ve recalled defenseman Declan Carlile and Steven Santini from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
Additionally, Tampa Bay has swapped two players around its injured reserve, albeit an expected one. Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reports that Tampa Bay has activated forward Dominic James from the injured reserve and placed defenseman Maxwell Crozier on it.
After all the movement on the active roster, it leaves Tampa Bay with 13 forwards and eight defensemen available for tonight’s contest. It’s expected that one of Carlile or Santini will suit up tonight, though there’s no guarantee either defenseman will participate.
If Carlile plays, it’ll be his fifth career performance in the NHL. The former undrafted collegiate free agent is in his fifth season with the Lightning organization and has primarily played for the Crunch since the 2021-22 season.
For the first few years of his career, Carlile had been expected to put up between 20 and 30 points in the AHL with a relatively high +/-. However, this season, his offensive game has taken a significant jump, scoring two goals and 10 points in 15 games. He’s the highest-scoring defenseman on the team by a four-point margin and the fifth-highest scorer overall.
Meanwhile, Santini has far more NHL experience from his playing days, although it has been limited in recent years. Since the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, Santini has appeared in 10 NHL games. Before then, from 2016 to 2019, Santini had suited up in 113 regular-season contests for the New Jersey Devils. He’s spent the last two years in the Lightning organization, scoring six goals and 21 points in 71 games.
Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Assign Declan Carlile
The Tampa Bay Lightning are shortening their available defense options as the team announced they’ve re-assigned defenseman Declan Carlile to their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. It’s unknown at this point if Tampa Bay will recall Carlile tomorrow as a seventh defenseman option or if they’ll continue with six until the roster freezes tomorrow evening.
Carlile was originally recalled on December 14th when defensive peer J.J. Moser was placed on the team’s injured reserve with a lower-body injury. He made his season debut that evening while captain Victor Hedman sat out with a lower-body injury but returned to seventh defensemen duties when Hedman came back on the 17th.
The Hartland, MI native is in his fourth season with the Lightning organization after signing with the team as a collegiate free agent in 2021-22. He suited up in three seasons for Merrimack College of the NCAA scoring 13 goals and 56 points in 83 contests.
Carlile’s scoring has depreciated in the AHL but he’s still proved an effective option for the Crunch. He’s only scored 17 goals and 57 points in 161 AHL contests but has achieved a whopping +41 career rating. He wasn’t as solid defensively during his time in the NCAA’s difficult Hockey East conference but his timing has improved during his transition to the professional scene.
Tampa Bay and Syracuse only have two games during the upcoming roster freeze so it’s up to the organization if they want Carlile to have game reps. He should end up on the NHL roster after the freeze regardless, considering Moser is on a week-to-week basis.