Lightning Reassign Brandon Halverson
1/18/26: The Lightning announced today that Halverson has been returned to AHL Syracuse. Halverson backed up Vasilevskiy for the club’s loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday, in place of Johansson.
Halverson’s reassignment indicates Johansson will be active for the Lightning’s game against the Dallas Stars this afternoon.
1/16/26: According to a team announcement, the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled goaltender Brandon Halverson ahead of tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues. The Lightning already had a full 23-man roster before the move, so they’ll have to make a corresponding transaction.
Fortunately for the Bolts, Halverson’s recall isn’t connected to an injury to starting netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. Backup goalie Jonas Johansson missed Tampa Bay’s practice on Thursday for what the team described as “body maintenance”, so he could be headed for a brief trip to the injured reserve.
Today’s transaction marks the second recall of the year for Halverson. He was first recalled in early December when Vasilevskiy was injured. He only appeared in one game for the Lightning during his 12-day recall, briefly appearing in Tampa Bay’s shootout loss to the New York Islanders on December 13th.
Still, the 29-year-old’s play in the AHL has made him an easy recall candidate when the Lightning have needed him. Halverson has recorded a 12-6-3 record in 20 games for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch this season with a .899 SV% and 2.42 GAA. His three shutouts are tied for the second-most in the league.
Until the Lightning provides an update on Johansson or their corresponding roster move, there’s no telling how long Halverson’s current recall will last. Regardless, given that Vasilevskiy remains healthy, there’s little chance Halverson will appear in a game unless something goes dramatically wrong.
Lightning’s Brayden Point Out Week-To-Week
Jan. 13th: Head Coach Jon Cooper spoke with the media ahead of tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Per beat writer Benjamin Pierce, Cooper articulated that they’ve avoided the worst-case scenario with Point, meaning Team Canada has as well. Cooper shared that Point is expected to miss the next few weeks with a lower-body injury.
Jan.12th: A star forward named to Team Canada in the upcoming Winter Olympics may have suffered a significant knee injury tonight, as Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point was helped off the ice in Philadelphia, and will not return, as confirmed by the team.
The incident was a strange play, in which Point banged home a rebound for the power play tally, putting Tampa up 3-0, but immediately after, Flyers defender Cam York landed on Point, making him come down awkwardly. York had been sprawling to try and clear the rebound.
Point immediately shook off his gloves and grabbed at his right knee, subsequently being helped off the ice.
The center missed seven games across November-December to close out 2025, but otherwise has been durable over the last three seasons, absent for just five regular season games over the previous last three campaigns. Turning 30 in March, Point has taken a step back from his usual elite scoring pace, with 29 points in 36 games, but still ranks fifth on the team in scoring. The Alberta native anchors the team’s first line as well as their top power play unit. He needs just seven more games to reach the 700 mark with Tampa Bay.
Returning from the injury in December, Point has been on a tear, with 19 points in his last 16 games, figuring to be fully healthy before tonight.
Currently second in the Atlantic, winners of nine in a row, Tampa has shown off their remarkable resilience despite missing players such as Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. They seem to be a lock to reach the playoffs for the eighth straight season, seeking to make another run after three straight first round exits. If Point has to miss significant time, it may force them to enter the center trade market, but the club lacks trade capital along with cap space, and may be forced to lean on more offense internally from Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde.
Also impossible to ignore are possible implications for Team Canada, as the Olympic Games are set to start next month. If needed, the group would have an embarrassment of riches to choose from down the middle, the likes of Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Wyatt Johnston, or Mark Scheifele. GM Doug Armstrong would have no shortage of talent to choose from, but would need to select the player best suited for bottom-six duty.
Although the hope is that the star has avoided a major injury, there is reason for both Tampa Bay and Team Canada to be fearing the worst. Updates will be watched urgently, as the Bolts are back in action tomorrow at Pittsburgh.
Lightning Assign Curtis Douglas To AHL On Conditioning Loan
Earlier this evening the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that Curtis Douglas has been assigned to AHL Syracuse for conditioning purposes. The forward has been a healthy scratch for each of Tampa’s last six games. Even when dressed, he has played very sparingly this season, averaging 5:58 a night.
Claimed off waivers from Utah in October, the 25-year-old may not make his mark in the stat sheet, but his road to the show has been impressive. Selected in the fourth round back in 2018 by Dallas, Douglas spent each of his past five seasons in the AHL across three different organizations, never getting a look at the highest level, and regularly recording over 100 penalty minutes each season. The 6’9″ center then caught the attention of Tampa Bay, who inherited the final year of his contract worth $775k at the NHL level, ending in unrestricted free agent status this summer.
In 27 games, Douglas has two assists and 75 penalty minutes. 25 years ago or so, this may be business as usual, but such output in today’s game is a testament to the Ontario native’s work ethic. He has managed to make an impact, on one of the league’s top teams, no less.
Although Douglas is back to the AHL for now, he will retain his full NHL salary, and the loan can last no longer than two weeks. Syracuse, currently 10th in the AHL, will enjoy having the hulking forward in their lineup for the time being. Tampa Bay won their 10th straight game tonight, as they won’t exactly miss a beat without their enforcer, but Douglas will get some game action and be ready to return when needed.
Lightning, Darren Raddysh To Wait On Extension Talks
While Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh is in the midst of the best season of his hockey career, he’ll likely need to wait just a little bit longer before he can cash in on his success.
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois told the media yesterday, including the Tampa Bay Times’ Eduardo A. Encina, that the club and Raddysh’s representatives would wait to engage in negotiations over a potential contract extension until the end of the season.
BriseBois stated his belief that Raddysh’s play has earned the blueliner a “game-changing contract,” but felt that waiting until the end of the season would allow the club to enter negotiations with a more complete sense of how to evaluate the defenseman’s appropriate contract value.
In a season where the Lightning have dealt with a rash of injuries to their blueline, Raddysh has emerged as a key difference-maker. The 29-year-old went undrafted out of the OHL’s Erie Otters but garnered significant league interest as a free agent at the end of his junior career. He originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and would go on to spend over a half-decade in the AHL before he earned his first NHL call-up.
Raddysh earned four NHL games for the Lightning in 2021-22, but his real breakout came in 2022-23, when he scored 51 points in 50 games for the Syracuse Crunch.
He got into 17 NHL games that year, which paved the way for him to earn a full-time role in Tampa the following year. Raddysh scored 33 points in 82 games in his first season as a full-time NHLer, 37 points in 73 games last season, and now has 12 goals and 36 points in 36 games this season.
For as much as he’s clearly developed in his late twenties, few likely expected Raddysh to sit top-five in league scoring by a defenseman halfway through an NHL season. He’s scoring at a higher clip this season than star names such as Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin, Moritz Seider, and Miro Heiskanen, to name just a few.
Playing defense is about more than just scoring, of course, and that’s why it’s important to note that Raddysh is also playing a key all-situations role for Tampa. He’s their No. 2 defenseman by average ice time per game (21:35) and beyond just getting top power play time, he also plays a role on the penalty kill.
He’s providing Tampa with an immense amount of surplus value on his current $975K cap hit, and as BriseBois said, has clearly lined himself up for a significant contract.
Of course, it’s fair to question whether a team interested in Raddysh will be able to expect Raddysh to put up the kind of point-per-game production he’s managed halfway through this season. But even if his true talent level isn’t quite as high as where he’s ranked right now, the fact is he’s still a right-shot blueliner who managed solid scoring rates in each of the last two seasons prior to this one.
Long gone is the flat cap environment where the vast majority of NHL clubs were tightening their purse strings and showing restraint on the free agent market. With each passing extension that gets signed, the upcoming free agent class thins even further, increasing Raddysh’s earnings potential as one of the top pending UFA blueliners.
For as much as the Bolts might want to see more games before committing significant funds to Raddysh, Raddysh may also want to wait as long as possible before committing to a contract extension in Tampa, as he very well could receive the most lucrative possible offer within the bidding wars of unrestricted free agency.
In any case, both Raddysh and the Lightning have more pressing objectives than the finances of next season; most importantly, it’s returning to the top of the game’s competitive pecking order and winning a third Stanley Cup under head coach Jon Cooper. If Raddysh can manage to string together a few more months of this kind of production, and find a way to translate his scoring to the high-intensity setting of the Stanley Cup playoffs, he could further heighten his chances of landing a life-altering contract this upcoming summer.
Photos courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Lightning Recall Simon Lundmark
The Lightning recalled defenseman Simon Lundmark from AHL Syracuse, per a team press release. He takes the roster spot of Maxim Groshev, who was sent down to Syracuse on Monday.
Lundmark, 25, had been a frequent presence in the Jets’ farm system before being non-tendered last summer and signing a two-year, two-way contract with Tampa Bay. From 2021-25, he made 254 appearances for AHL Manitoba with 16 goals, 46 assists, 62 points (0.24 per game), 82 penalty minutes, and a -38 rating. Drafted as a relatively strong two-way prospect, he was a second-rounder in 2019 but didn’t show enough in a poor development environment in Winnipeg to ever get an NHL chance.
The move to the Bolts organization hasn’t changed his fortunes yet. He’s suited up 27 times for Syracuse with only five assists and a -1 rating. He was recalled once in November as an emergency injury replacement option, but didn’t get into a game.
The 6’2″ righty now gets another shot to serve as a press-box option for Tampa as they rotate their minor-league depth in and out of healthy extra duty. With Victor Hedman, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, and Ryan McDonagh all still out for several games, that practice will continue for a while.
Lightning Reassign Maxim Groshev
Earlier today, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that Maxim Groshev has been re-assigned to AHL Syracuse.
The defenseman has bounced between the AHL and NHL throughout the season, last being called up one week ago. In his latest stint, the 24-year-old made his eagerly awaited NHL debut, recording an assist on 13:03 of ice time. Even with Groshev out of the mix for now, along with Ryan McDonagh, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, and Victor Hedman all injured, the team has six active defenders ahead of tomorrow’s game against Colorado. The news may indicate that McDonagh is due to return sometime later in the week.
Groshev working his way into an NHL lineup last Saturday and making an impact is particularly impressive, as the Russian was drafted in the third round back in 2020 as a forward. Unable to make enough of an impact offensively in North America, he dropped back to defense, rarely seen in a level as high as the AHL. Since then, Groshev has made strides, leading Crunch blueliners in scoring with 12 points in 27 games.
A restricted free agent at season’s end, Groshev faces an especially tough challenge to solidify himself as a full-time NHLer, given his unlikely path, and figures to be no more than a depth option at this point. However, through it all, he’s managed to earn the trust of the Bolts when needed, who continue to win despite recent injury adversity, and make his mark at the highest level.
After tomorrow’s home tilt against the Avs, the Lightning embark on a road trip to start the next week. Barring additional injuries, Groshev could be set to settle in Syracuse for the remainder of 2026 and help the top team make a push in their North Division.
Lightning Sign Charle-Edouard D’Astous To One-Year Extension
The Lightning announced they’ve signed defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous to a one-year extension worth $875K. He was due to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
While the 27-year-old D’Astous is too old for Calder Trophy consideration, the Quebec native has quietly been one of the league’s most impressive rookies. The former ECHL Defenseman of the Year had spent the last three seasons in Europe, racking up back-to-back top defenseman honors in Finland’s and Sweden’s top leagues, before landing his first NHL contract – a two-way deal with the Bolts signed in May.
D’Astous did not make Tampa’s opening night roster. In fact, he was a relatively early cut from training camp on Sep. 28. He posted three points and a +3 rating in four games for AHL Syracuse before the Lightning recalled him just two weeks into the season in the wake of an injury to Maxwell Crozier.
The 6’2″ lefty was scratched once before making his debut, kicking off a run of 33 consecutive appearances to begin his NHL career. While injuries to Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh have been the primary factor keeping him in the lineup, he’s done his best in the meantime to ensure he has a legitimate shot of remaining in the lineup when Tampa’s defense returns to full health. With a 3-10–13 scoring line, he’s third among Bolts defenders in scoring and 10th on the team overall while averaging a hearty 19:05 per game out of the gate, quarterbacking Tampa’s second power-play unit in Hedman’s stead.
D’Astous’ defensive deficiencies were historically the biggest obstacle between him and an NHL contract despite his long track record of elite offensive production in the minors, juniors, and in Europe. Those haven’t disappeared. The Lightning allow 3.4 goals against per 60 minutes with D’Astous on the ice at even strength, the worst figure on the team.
Nonetheless, he’s proven himself a valuable depth option, providing legitimate offensive value from the blue line as Tampa has dealt with multiple key injuries. He was one of only five pending UFAs on the Lightning’s roster, a list that’s now limited to Oliver Bjorkstrand, Darren Raddysh, Declan Carlile (Group VI), and Curtis Douglas (Group VI).
Lightning Activate Erik Cernak From LTIR
The Lightning have activated defenseman Erik Černák from long-term injured reserve, Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reports.
Černák will dress on Wednesday against the Ducks for the first time since sustaining a hand injury against the Capitals on Nov. 22. Tampa Bay has ample space in its LTIR pool and opened a roster spot yesterday by placing Scott Sabourin on IR, so no corresponding transaction is necessary.
The importance of the shutdown righty’s return can’t be overstated for a decimated Bolts defense that’s still missing three other regulars in Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Emil Martinsen Lilleberg. Hedman will be out for another month with his elbow injury, while McDonagh’s timeline remains fuzzy after re-aggravating the undisclosed injury that already knocked him out of an 18-game stretch earlier in the year.
Before exiting the lineup, Černák had recorded four assists in an even rating in 19 games. His 19:19 average time on ice is tracking for the second-highest of his career, and he leads Bolts defensemen in both blocks (2.26) and hits (2.11) per game.
Černák’s possession impacts this season have been something of a mixed bag. He’s posted the worst shot attempt share (44.2%) of any Bolts skater at even strength, but he’s also received the most difficult deployment, starting 59.8% of his shifts in the defensive zone.
The 28-year-old’s return to action is also crucial ahead of February’s Winter Olympics, where he and the Devils’ Simon Nemec will anchor Slovakia’s defense on the right side. Now in his eighth season, he’s entered the top five in franchise history among defensemen in games played (460) and rating (+93).
Lightning Place Scott Sabourin On Injured Reserve
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be down at least one forward for their upcoming road trip through the Pacific Division. According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, the Lightning have placed Scott Sabourin on the team’s injured reserve.
It’s not difficult to assess what Sabourin’s injury stems from. One day after accruing 26 PIMs and a fine against the Florida Panthers, Sabourin took on Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj in a heavyweight tilt.
Xhekaj ultimately won the exchange handily, which assuredly caused Sabourin’s placement on the IR today. It appears that Xhekaj knew Sabourin was injured mere moments after the fight concluded, as video shows him and the linesman urgently calling the Lightning’s medical staff to attend to Sabourin.
Unfortunately, it’s the price of doing business for how Sabourin plays the game. Although the ‘enforcer’ class is slowly dying off in the modern game, Sabourin has respectably carved out a career path as a tough guy. This season with Tampa Bay, he’s already racked up 63 PIMs in just nine contests.
Since he isn’t relied upon to help put pucks in the net, though he does have three points on the year, the Lightning’s lineup won’t need too much shifting around ahead of their upcoming road trip. Sabourin was typically found on the team’s fourth line, so the team could easily replace him with fellow enforcer Curtis Douglas, who was a healthy scratch in the contest against the Canadiens.
Lightning Sign J.J. Moser To Eight-Year Extension
Dec. 28th: PuckPedia provided the yearly breakdown of Moser’s new extension:
- 2026-27: $881K salary, $7.9MM signing bonus
- 2027-28: $1.381MM salary, $7.4MM signing bonus, full no-trade clause
- 2028-29: $8.777MM salary, full no-trade clause
- 2029-30: $6.584MM salary, full no-trade clause
- 2030-31: $5.27MM salary, 16-team no-trade clause
- 2031-32: $4.269MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 16-team no-trade clause
- 2032-33: $4.269MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 16-team no-trade clause
- 2033-34: $4.269MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 16-team no-trade clause
Dec. 27th: The Tampa Bay Lightning have locked in one of their best defensemen from this season. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Lightning are closing in on an eight-year, $54MM ($6.75MM AAV) extension with J.J. Moser. Tampa Bay confirmed the extension a few moments later.
Moser, 25, is in his second year with Tampa Bay after being one of the pieces brought back in the trade that sent defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Salt Lake City two summers ago. He was headed toward restricted free agency after this season, with arbitration rights, but will now wait until after the 2033-34 season to sign his next deal.
The Biel, Switzerland native has gotten much more attention this year, largely due to the number of injuries the Lightning have dealt with on their blue line. He’s scored three goals and 12 points in 34 games, equating to the second-best performance of his career on an 82-game basis.
Still, despite his boxcar stats being somewhat mediocre, they don’t come close to painting the whole picture regarding Moser’s value.
His even-strength metrics are some of the best in the league and are in most categories. He’s managed a 57.8% CorsiFor% and 94.6% on-ice save percentage throughout the year, both of which are first on the team among defensemen by a significant margin.
Additionally, according to MoneyPuck, out of the 218 defensemen that have played over 200 minutes this season, Moser is first in the league in on-ice Goals% with a 73.8% mark. Cale Makar, who is again the favorite for the Norris Trophy, is in second place with a 72.7% output.
That level of performance made an extension a priority for General Manager Julien BriseBois in Tampa Bay. Moving forward with Moser locked in, the Lightning have the combination of Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh signed through the 2028-29 season, and Erik Černák locked in through the 2030-31 campaign.
If Moser can continue his current level of productivity, even if only for the next few years, this contract will quickly become a bargain if it isn’t already. Assuming the upper limit of the salary cap remains relatively similar to the projections, Moser’s contract will account for 6.49% of the salary cap next season and will drop to 5.94% by the second year of the deal.
Given that Tampa Bay didn’t attempt to line up Moser’s contract to expire alongside another blue liner, as they did with Hedman and McDonagh, it’s clear that the Lightning have high expectations for him moving forward.
Photo courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images.