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Lightning, Flyers Swap Roman Schmidt, Ethan Samson

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The Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers have swapped minor-league defenseman. Tampa Bay has sent Roman Schmidt to Philadelphia in exchange for Ethan Samson. Schmidt is in his second season in the AHL, while Samson is in his third.

This move swaps an imposing, physical defender for a more mobile, two-way option. Schmidt stands at 6-foot-5 and 215-pounds. He uses that heft, and a long reach, to shut down entry into the defensive zone and control space in front of his own net. That focus has held Schmidt to just one point in 13 games this season and six points in 62 career AHL games. He has led the Syrcause Crunch in penalty minutes in each of the last two seasons – with 38 PIMs this year and 79 PIMs in 49 games last year. Tampa Bay originally drafted Schmidt in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, out of the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Samson has offered a bit more offense through his AHL career. He has four assists, and only four penalty minutes, in 10 games this season – after missing the start of the year due to a training camp injury. He’s continued to offer a physical and engaged presence on defense, with a bit more downhill drive with the puck on his stick. He has 40 points, a minus-19, and 100 PIMs in 142 career AHL games. The Flyers drafted Samson three rounds after Schmidt in 2021 from the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.

This move will provide the Flyers with a bit more grit behind a young depth chart filled with skill-first players. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay will look to bank on Samson’s upside. The Lightning are no strangers to rewarding AHL defenders on NHL contracts. They have had 10 different defenders appear in NHL games this season and briefly had Schmidt on their roster, though he didn’t make his NHL debut.

Lightning Place Andrei Vasilevskiy On IR, Activate Brayden Point

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3:44 p.m.: The corresponding move for Vasilevskiy’s IR placement is an IR activation for top center Brayden Point, per Erlendsson. The snakebitten pivot had missed the last seven games due to an undisclosed injury he sustained against the Capitals on Nov. 22. He’s hoping the time off jumpstarts a reset – the four-time 40-goal scorer had managed just three tallies through 21 games while shooting at a disastrous 6.8% clip, less than half his previous career low.

10:16 a.m.: According to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider, the Tampa Bay Lightning have placed netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy on the team’s injured reserve. Having recalled Brandon Halverson a few days ago, any corresponding roster move, if any, will likely involve a forward or defenseman.

Vasilveskiy has already missed two games due to an undisclosed injury, and it’s now a guarantee he’ll miss at least two more. Since his last contest came last Tuesday against the New York Islanders, the 12-year veteran will only be eligible for activation after Tampa Bay’s matchup tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens.

Unlike some of their injuries on defense, the Lightning haven’t fared as well without their former Vezina Trophy-winning netminder. Tampa Bay lost both games last week without Vasilevskiy (as well as his most recent start against the Islanders), allowing six goals on 50 shots for an .880 SV%.

Assuming that the Lightning will want to avoid overworking Jonas Johansson in their upcoming back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal, Vasilevskiy’s IR placement all but guarantees that Halvorsen will make his first appearance of the year. The 29-year-old netminer has managed a 9-4-0 record in 13 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season with a .901 SV%.

Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like Vasilevskiy will be out for too long. There was some speculation last week that Vasilevskiy was targeting today for his return, meaning that he may return by Thursday when the Lightning take on the Devils in New Jersey.

AHL's Syracuse Crunch Sign Jarred Tinordi

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Unless something changes, the Boston Bruins will return their two top performers on their upcoming road trip. After an update from Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, indicating that Charlie McAvoy shed the non-contact jersey for today’s practice, Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reported that both McAvoy and David Pastrňák are expected to return over the next few days.

Even getting one of McAvoy or Pastrňák back would be a major boost to the Bruins. After McAvoy exited the lineup on November 15th after gruesomely taking a puck to the face, the team has gone 5-5-0. It’s been a little better without Pastrňák, as they’ve gone 3-2-0 in their last five.

Still, considering that Boston has unexpectedly moved into second place in the Atlantic Division, the team will want to have McAvoy and Pastrňák in the lineup as much as possible to qualify for a postseason spot. The Bruins are only two points removed from being out of a playoff spot, and have played more games than multiple teams in the Eastern Conference. Considering how wide-open the playoff race is this season, Boston has a legitimate opportunity to reach the postseason again, and McAvoy and Pastrňák will surely play a large role in that.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Moving to Toronto, the Maple Leafs may also return a pair of injured players in the next few days. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, defenseman Chris Tanev is no longer skating in a non-contact jersey. Additionally, Alter reported similarly on defenseman Marshall Rifai, who has also shed his non-contact jersey. Tanev has missed much of the 2025-26 campaign due to an upper-body injury, and his absence has played a significant role in the Maple Leafs allowing over 31 shots a game from their opponents.
  • Former first-round pick Jarred Tinordi has found his way back to professional hockey for a 14th consecutive season. Earlier today, the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch announced they have signed Tinordi to a contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign. Tinordi, 33, spent last season with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, scoring one goal and five points in 30 games with a +5 rating.

Lightning Reassign Steven Santini

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The Lightning have reassigned veteran blue-liner Steven Santini back to AHL Syracuse, per a team announcement. Tampa’s active roster is now at 22, allowing them to activate one of Ryan McDonagh or Brayden Point from injured reserve before Monday’s game against the Maple Leafs if they’re ready to go.

The 30-year-old Santini was brought up last month in the wake of an injury to Maxwell Crozier and had stuck around on the roster as the Bolts’ defense also dealt with injuries to McDonagh, Erik Černák, and Victor Hedman, who got back in the lineup this weekend. He’s now appeared in parts of nine NHL seasons with a lifetime 5-19–24 scoring line in 131 games played split between the Lightning, Blues, Predators, and Devils. Tampa picked Santini up in free agency in 2024 on a two-way deal and, after he made one appearance for them last season, re-upped on a two-year, two-way contract in June to keep him in the organization through 2026-27.

Santini has continued to flex great two-way play in the AHL this year, posting a +7 rating (tied for third on the team) in 13 appearances. He’s also contributed four assists and is serving as an alternate captain for the second year in a row, a fitting title given his 10 years and 374 games of AHL experience.

The 6’3″ righty has been deployed more as a defensive specialist in his NHL minutes and has posted fine possession metrics given his deployment in a limited role. He’s only controlled 42.4% of shot attempts at even strength for his career, but that becomes defensible when considering he’s only started 37.7% of his shifts in the offensive zone. Through seven games for the Bolts this year, he had an even rating and one assist while averaging 12:01 of ice time per game. There’s little upside left in his game, but he carries value as a dependable, replacement-level option who can deliver in bottom-pairing duties as an injury replacement.

Kucherov And Vasilevskiy Out Tonight

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  • While the Lightning will get one of their stars back tonight, they’ll be without two others. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relays that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy and winger Nikita Kucherov are listed as day-to-day with undisclosed injuries.  Tampa Bay was hoping to have Vasilevskiy back after missing Thursday’s game but that won’t be the case, meaning Jonas Johansson will get the start once again.  Meanwhile, it’s unclear as to what Kucherov’s injury is as well but he played over 25 minutes on Thursday against Pittsburgh so it’s something he was evidently able to play through at some point in the game.

Lightning Likely To Activate Victor Hedman

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In what could be the most positive injury update for the team in some time, it appears the Tampa Bay Lightning will welcome back their captain tonight. According to team reporter Benjamin Pierce, defenseman Victor Hedman said he feels “probable” for tonight.

It’s been a long time coming for Hedman. The 17-year veteran has been working his way back from an undisclosed injury for the last month. Having missed 12 games and 28 days, Hedman has satisfied both requirements to be activated from long-term injured reserve.

Notably, the Lightning have not only been able to withstand the absence of their top defenseman but have excelled. Tampa Bay has managed an 8-4-0 record without Hedman and has climbed to the top of the NHL’s Atlantic Division.

Although the team’s offense has been more than respectable throughout that duration, averaging 3.5 GF/G on a 12.4% shooting percentage, the wins have largely been generated by a pieced-together defensive core. Without Hedman, the Lightning have held opposing teams to a 2.5 GF/G average while limiting them to a 9.74% shooting percentage on 26 shots per game on average.

Especially if Tampa Bay’s defense can maintain its high level of play, Hedman’s return to the lineup would provide an even bigger boost than normal. The former Norris Trophy winner has registered 12 assists in 15 games for the Lightning so far this year, managing a 53.9% CorsiFor% and 91.9% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

The largest impact Hedman will likely have is on the team’s power play. Averaging an 18.0% success rate on the man advantage with Hedman in the lineup, Tampa Bay’s power play has only maintained a 13.8% conversion rate without him.

Regardless, the Lightning have taken advantage of a wide-open Eastern Conference, especially as rivals such as the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs work their way out of disappointing starts. Considering the number of injuries Tampa Bay has had to deal with already this year, they could gain even more momentum as they return more players to their active roster.

Lightning Reassign Declan Carlile

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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.

Vasilevskiy Should Be Back Next Game; Crozier Activated Off IR

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  • Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is unavailable for tonight’s game which resulted in today’s recall of Brandon Halverson. However, the veteran’s absence will be a short one as Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times relays (Twitter link) that the expectation is that Vasilevskiy will be available to start their next game on Saturday.  The 31-year-old is having yet another strong season, posting a 2.31 GAA and a .916 SV% through his first 19 starts.
  • Also with the Lightning, they welcomed back defenseman Maxwell Crozier as Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider relayed (Twitter link) that the blueliner was activated off IR. The 25-year-old missed the last eight games due to an undisclosed injury.  Crozier has three assists in eight games with Tampa Bay so far this season.  With the activation, the Lightning are back to a full 23-player roster.

Lightning Sign Ryan McDonagh To Three-Year Extension

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3:20 p.m.: PuckPedia have reported some new details regarding the specific financial terms of McDonagh’s three-year extension. The structure of the contract remains the same in all three years of its duration: $3.1MM base salary, $1MM signing bonus, and a full no-movement clause.

PuckPedia also noted that because this deal includes signing bonuses beyond its first year, it is considered a 35+ contract. As a result, the Lightning are eligible to buy out this contract, but doing so would not provide them with any cap relief.

7:35 a.m.:The Lightning announced they’ve signed defenseman Ryan McDonagh to a three-year extension. The deal, which keeps him in Tampa through the 2028-29 season, is worth $12.3MM for an average annual value of $4.1MM. Instead of testing the unrestricted free agent market next summer, he’ll stay with the club where he won championships in 2020 and 2021.

It’s a nice gift for the veteran rearguard, who remains out with an undisclosed injury that’s kept him out of the lineup for over three weeks. While the deal takes him through his age-39 season, McDonagh has so far defied the aging curve. He was arguably the NHL’s top shutdown defenseman last season, posting a league-high +43 rating and controlling 51.9% of expected goals at 5-on-5 despite seeing 264 defensive zone starts compared to 160 offensive zone starts. On top of that, his 4-27–31 scoring line remained nearly in line with his career average and marked the eighth time in his 16-year career that he’s crossed the 30-point plateau.

That was McDonagh’s first season back in Tampa after a two-year absence. Following their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022, a loss to the Avalanche, he had completed the third year of the seven-year, $47.25MM extension he signed with the Bolts in 2019. He was still viewed as a high-end top-four piece at the time, but his offensive production had taken somewhat of a hit since signing the extension. He was coming off a career-best 46 points in 82 games and an eighth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting before the deal went into effect, but he averaged just four goals and 24 points per 82 games over the following three seasons. That led Tampa to make him and his $6.75MM cap hit a cap dump under a still relatively flat cap environment, asking him to waive his no-trade clause. He accepted a move to the Predators, who brought him in at full price in exchange for a pair of depth skaters.

McDonagh’s play in Nashville was more of the same steady, two-way hockey that the former Rangers captain has played from the start. Across two years with the Preds, he racked up 52 points and a +31 rating in 145 games, serving as their top penalty killer and averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game. In the 2024 offseason, the Lightning, armed with more cap flexibility, needed repair on the blue line after allowing 3.26 goals per game, their worst defensive performance in 12 years. The Predators were happy to return McDonagh to the Bolts, landing a second-round pick for their trouble after acquiring him for nothing of value.

The 36-year-old still looked like a natural fit in a top-four workload before sustaining his injury in a game against the Capitals on Nov. 8. Through 15 appearances, he was averaging 20:10 of ice time per game – a figure brought down by his early departure from the Washington outing – and had rattled off three goals and three assists for six points with a +1 rating. His usual even-strength pairing with Erik Černák also serves as the Bolts’ top shorthanded duo.

Under the hood, there’s very little cause for concern. McDonagh is perhaps the best case study in the league for quality over quantity on defense. He’s still receiving an extremely skewed workload toward the defensive zone at 5-on-5. Naturally, that means he’s getting shelled in shot attempts, only controlling 49.4% of them to rank fifth-worst among Bolts skaters with at least 10 appearances. The shot attempts they’re allowing with him on the ice, though, amount to a high volume of low-danger chances. McDonagh’s 58.0% share of expected goals at 5-on-5 ranks fifth-best on the Lightning. They also only allow 8.8 high-danger chances per 60 minutes with McDonagh on the ice at 5-on-5, which is also the fifth-best mark on the team.

With that type of value, the Lightning understandably wanted to make sure the steady McDonagh was retained behind an also-aging Victor Hedman as they squeeze what they can out of their championship contention window. At a significant discount that’s just a few ticks over the league-average salary, getting him locked in without submitting to a crushing contract length that takes him into his 40s is also a real win for Tampa GM Julien BriseBois.

Barring trades, the Bolts’ defense is virtually locked in for next season. Alongside McDonagh, Hedman, Černák, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, and Maxwell Crozier are also signed through at least next year on one-way deals, while breakout defender J.J. Moser is a pending restricted free agent and will be back. They also boast one of the most advantageous cap situations in the league, particularly for a team in win-now mode. With a total cap commitment of $81.92MM on the books for 2026-27 to 20 roster players, that leaves them over $22MM in projected space to fill just three spots, per PuckPedia.

Image of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.

Lightning Recall Brandon Halverson

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The Lightning announced they’ve recalled goaltender Brandon Halverson from AHL Syracuse. They had an open roster spot after reassigning Maxim Groshev yesterday. They’ve also shifted center Brayden Point to injured reserve, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider, leaving them with an open spot even after Halverson’s addition.

Halverson’s presence indicates there’s a risk that Andrei Vasilevskiy won’t be available for tonight’s game against the Penguins. The team’s Gabby Shirley reports he’s not present at morning skate. He’s not yet carrying an injury designation. Vasilevskiy has started four out of the Bolts’ last five games and looked no worse for wear in his latest start against the Islanders on Tuesday, allowing two goals on 23 shots in a loss.

The 29-year-old Halverson is in his third season in the Tampa organization. He began at the bottom of the ladder as an ECHL signing by the Orlando Solar Bears late in the 2023 offseason before being loaned up to Syracuse and landing a deal with them a few months later. Halverson remained on a minor-league deal through last season, in which the 2014 second-round pick of the Rangers made a career-high 45 appearances with a 2.22 GAA, .915 SV%, five shutouts, and a 22-11-11 record. That delayed breakout earned him an NHL deal from the Bolts in February, essentially serving as a call-up in place of an injured Johansson. It was a two-year, two-way deal, keeping him under contract through this season.

That signing led to Halverson’s first career NHL start late last season, a 6-4 loss to Utah on March 22. It was his second-ever NHL appearance and first in over seven years. While in the Rangers organization, he entered a February 2018 game in relief of Henrik Lundqvist.

While Halverson’s brief NHL resume has seen him post an underwhelming .800 SV% and 5.11 GAA in 71 minutes of action, he’s got a career .901 mark in the AHL over seven seasons. That matches his work for Syracuse this year, along with a 2.58 GAA, two shutouts, and a 9-4-0 record in 13 games.

Point hasn’t played since Nov. 22, so his IR placement is solely for roster management purposes and doesn’t offer any meaningful update to his timeline. He’s dealing with an undisclosed injury and doesn’t yet have a date for his return to the lineup.

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