Steven Santini

The Tampa Bay Lightning are keeping around one of their depth defenseman for a few more years. The Lightning announced they’ve re-signed blue liner Steven Santini to a two-year, two-way contract.

Santini recently wrapped up his first season with the Lightning organization. After coasting through the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues’ organization for a few years, largely in the AHL, Santini spent one year with the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, before signing a one-year, $775K contract with Tampa Bay last summer.

Similarly to his previous employers, the Lightning stashed Santini with their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, for much of the year. Despite not being regarded as an offensive weapon from the point, Santini had the third-best scoring season of his AHL career, tallying six goals and 17 points in 58 games with a +10 rating.

Still, Santini received an opportunity to play in the NHL for the first time since the 2022-23 season, and his fifth since the 2020-21 season. Due to an injury to Erik Černák, Santini skated in 11:37 of the Lightning’s win against the Calgary Flames on December 12th, going scoreless.

Even with Nicklaus Perbix likely leaving the organization this summer, it’s highly unlikely that Santini will compete for a spot on the roster out of training camp, even as a seventh defenseman. He should be expected to spend a majority of the year with AHL Syracuse, and be a quick injury replacement should Tampa Bay need it.

The Lightning announced that they’ve recalled veteran defenseman Steven Santini from AHL Syracuse. Tampa Bay has an open roster spot and ample cap space, so no corresponding move is necessary.

Santini’s recall suggests that Erik Černák will be unavailable against the Oilers after he left Sunday’s game against the Canucks with an undisclosed injury. The 29-year-old, who gets his first recall since January 2023, will likely sit in the press box while Nicklaus Perbix, who served as a healthy scratch against Vancouver, re-enters the lineup.

A second-round pick by the Devils back in 2013, Santini is now on his fifth NHL organization and third in the last three years. He signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Bolts on July 2 after spending last season in the Kings organization on assignment to AHL Ontario.

Santini successfully cleared waivers during the preseason and has played in 14 of 22 games for Syracuse since then, recording five points and a -2 rating. He’s serving as an alternate captain, his third season doing so as an AHLer after holding the honor with Utica in 2020-21 and Springfield in 2021-22.

The 6’2″, 209-lb righty has 123 NHL games under his belt but none since a four-game run with the Blues in 2022-23. He has five goals and 18 assists for 23 career NHL points with a -8 rating, averaging 17:12 per game. Teams have historically been out-chanced pretty heavily with Santini on the ice at even strength, only controlling 42.6% of shot attempts.

The Bolts can keep Santini around for up to 30 days or play him in 10 games before he requires waivers to return to Syracuse.