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.
Lightning Recall Steven Santini
Saturday: Santini’s stint in the minors was short-lived as the team announced that he has been brought back up from the Crunch. He suited up in their loss to Lehigh Valley yesterday, paving the way for him to be brought back up so quickly.
Friday: The Lightning announced today that defender Steven Santini has been reassigned to AHL Syracuse. He is right at the 10-game cutoff for losing his temporary waiver exemption, but has spent less than 30 days on the active roster since last clearing them during preseason, so he doesn’t need them to head back to the minors today. Any subsequent recall and game played will require him to go on waivers at the end of it, though.
Santini, 31, was recalled Tuesday in the wake of Erik Černák sustaining an apparent leg injury. He was scratched for last night’s win over the Red Wings as Darren Raddysh returned to the team from his bereavement leave, but did log 9:21 of ice time against the Blue Jackets earlier this week. The 6’3″ righty managed two shot attempts and one hit but was otherwise held off the scoresheet. His demotion today indicates Černák should be ready to go tomorrow against the Hurricanes after a two-game absence.
He’s now eight years removed from his days as a legitimate depth/bottom-pairing option with the Devils. More of an AHL journeyman now, his 134 games of NHL experience are still attractive to teams like the Lightning if they need him as an injury stopgap, as they’ve done several times this season. This was Santini’s fifth recall of the campaign, resulting in his most NHL appearances in a season since 2018-19.
Once named the Hockey East conference’s best defensive defenseman during his NCAA days with Boston College, he’s still an important stay-at-home conscience for Syracuse, where he has a +10 rating and six assists and 32 games this year while serving as the club’s captain. Signed through next season on a two-way deal, he’ll remain a recall option through then unless he’s claimed off waivers.
Lightning To Activate Nick Paul, Assign Conor Geekie To AHL
The Lightning made a roster move early this morning, announcing that they’ve assigned center Conor Geekie back to AHL Syracuse. With the cap savings from that assignment, they now have enough money to activate forward Nick Paul off LTIR; head coach Jon Cooper confirmed to reporters, including team reporter Benjamin Pierce (Twitter link), that Paul will be activated before tonight’s game against Carolina.
Paul has missed the last 11 games with a lower-body injury sustained at the beginning of February against Boston. The 30-year-old has been a strong secondary scorer since joining Tampa Bay back in 22 but his playing time and numbers have taken a dip this season. Limited to just 34 games due to multiple injuries, Paul has notched just six goals and six assists so far in 2025-26 although he’s winning a career-high 54.4% of his faceoffs. He’ll likely slot in on either the third or fourth line; the latter if he simply slides into Geekie’s spot in the lineup.
As for Geekie, this stint with the big club ends at five games, bringing his season total to 11 after he broke camp with the Lightning back in the fall. He’s still looking for his first NHL goal of the campaign and has been limited to just two assists so far after notching 14 points in 52 games in Tampa Bay last season. The team has prioritized giving the 21-year-old big minutes in the minors with the Crunch over playing in a depth role which certainly makes sense from a development standpoint. Geekie has fared quite well in that situation, tallying 51 points in 47 games with Syracuse. He’ll return there and help the Crunch as they continue to battle for the top spot in the AHL’s North Division.
With Paul’s pending activation, Tampa Bay is down to two players on LTIR, rookie center Dominic James and freshman defenseman Maxwell Crozier.
Poll: Who Had The Best Deadline In The Atlantic Division?
While it was a slower day than normal, the trade deadline is now behind us. There were still a good number of impactful swings made on deadline day and in the week leading up to it. Over the next week, PHR will be running a series of polls asking which team had the best deadline in each division. Today, we’re starting out with the Atlantic. Here’s a synopsis of all eight teams, sorted by best to worst points percentage in 2025-26:
Tampa Bay Lightning
It was a relatively quiet deadline season for the Bolts. Despite dealing with several injuries this season, the only trade the team made was acquiring Corey Perry from the Los Angeles Kings for a 2028 second-round pick.
Perry has already registered two goals and one fight since returning to Tampa Bay, adding to his 13-goal, 30-point campaign this season. He’s appeared in five of the last six Stanley Cup Finals, losing them all, giving the Lightning a familiar, hungry, and experienced veteran winger in the bottom-six.
Buffalo Sabres
Although they were unable to acquire defenseman Colton Parayko from the St. Louis Blues, the red-hot Sabres were still one of the most active teams on deadline day. In three separate deals, the Sabres acquired Sam Carrick, Tanner Pearson, Luke Schenn, and Logan Stanley for Jacob Bryson, Isak Rosen, a 2026 third-round pick, a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick, Chicago’s 2026 sixth-round pick, a 2026 seventh-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
Outside of Carrick, the other three acquisitions will become unrestricted free agents this summer, unless Buffalo extends them before July 1st. Additionally, even though they parted with five draft selections in the next two drafts, the Sabres still have 10 picks available, with plenty of time to replenish their cupboard. It was a shift from the big-game hunting the Sabres were expected to pursue, but it was a wise strategy to enhance their depth for the upcoming playoff run.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens were arguably the most surprising team on deadline day. Montreal was active on several fronts leading up to the deadline, yet it was one of the few teams that did not make a single trade.
Although it’s defensible that the team didn’t pull the trigger on acquiring a second-line center, given the asking price for many of them, it was surprising that the Canadiens couldn’t find a way to move on from Patrik Laine. During the Olympics, it was reported that Montreal wasn’t expecting Laine back with the team this season, even if he became healthy. The Kings were one of the few teams interested, but the Canadiens will hold onto him until the summer.
Boston Bruins
Like the Canadiens, the Bruins were another quiet team on deadline day. Although they made a few trades, they were only made to build up their AHL squad, the Providence Bruins.
Unlike Montreal, there were very few expectations around Boston to make a move. A few reports linked them to some of the higher-level names available, though the Bruins are only one year removed from being one of the most active sellers at the deadline. Boston likely could have made some additions to reward the team’s performance this year, but they weren’t in a position to give up significant assets.
Detroit Red Wings
Of all the teams in the Atlantic Division, the Red Wings likely had the highest expectations leading up to the deadline. Over the past two years, despite being in a wild-card spot, Detroit effectively stood pat at the trade deadline, leading many to question the team’s commitment to getting back to the postseason.
Connected to most of the market’s top names, the Red Wings arguably landed the best player of any of their divisional opponents. Just before the deadline, Detroit acquired top-four defenseman Justin Faulk from the Blues for prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, Justin Holl, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2026 third-round pick. Earlier in the day, the Red Wings traded Elmer Söderblom to the Penguins for the third-round pick that was eventually sent to St. Louis, and acquired veteran winger David Perron from the Senators for a fourth-round pick.
Ottawa Senators
If only the Senators had gotten league-average goaltending for the first part of the regular season. Because of the lackluster play between the pipes, the Senators are on the outside of the playoff conversation, though they do have plenty of time to make up the ground. Still, it made for a complicated deadline strategy.
By the end of the deadline, the only move of consequence Ottawa made was sending Buffalo’s 2026 second-round pick and a 2026 conditional third-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for Warren Foegele and a Dallas’ conditional 2026 third-round pick. Effectively, Foegele replaces Perron in the lineup after a difficult start to the year with the Kings. Foegele is only one year removed from back-to-back 20-goal campaigns.
Florida Panthers
Nothing stops a juggernaut like injuries. Although they aren’t mathematically eliminated, it’s highly unlikely that the Panthers will have the opportunity to defend their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships this spring.
According to most reports, the Panthers were thought to have been looking to deal some of their pending unrestricted free agents, but only parted ways with defenseman Jeff Petry with the Minnesota Wild. It appears that Florida is more interested in keeping the group together and hopes for better health during the 2026-27 campaign.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Like every other team, the Maple Leafs aren’t mathematically eliminated from the postseason yet, but it is highly unlikely they’ll continue their postseason streak. Given that, Toronto was thought to be listening to nearly every player on the roster to maximize their potential return.
By the end of deadline day, the Maple Leafs had traded Nicolas Roy, Scott Laughton, and Bobby McMann for Colorado’s 2027 first-round pick, Colorado’s 2026 fifth-round pick, Ottawa’s 2026 third-round pick, Columbus’s 2027 second-round pick, and Anaheim’s 2026 fourth-round pick. Toronto still lacks its top two selections this season, unless they finish fifth overall or higher. However, they managed to re-stock some of their draft capital over the next two years.
Of all the teams in the Atlantic Division, which do you think had the best deadline season? Vote below!
Who Had The Best Deadline In The Atlantic Division?
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Buffalo Sabres 54% (282)
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Detroit Red Wings 18% (93)
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Tampa Bay Lightning 11% (60)
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Montreal Canadiens 6% (30)
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Toronto Maple Leafs 5% (28)
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Boston Bruins 3% (14)
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Ottawa Senators 2% (10)
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Florida Panthers 2% (10)
Total votes: 527
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Lightning Acquire Ian Mitchell From Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have acquired forwards Wojciech Stachowiak and Michael Milne from the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Ian Mitchell. Each player will report to their respective AHL clubs.
It’s a wholly understandable trade by the Red Wings. Now, without Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp for the next few weeks, Detroit has recalled Sheldon Dries, Dominik Shine, Eduards Tralmaks, and Austin Watson over the last few days, leaving the Grand Rapids Griffins without some of their best forwards.
Although Stachowiak isn’t a well-known talent in North America, he certainly is in Germany. The 26-year-old winger has played for Germany in several IIHF World Championships over the past few years, scoring seven goals and accumulating 21 points in 25 games. He also played for Germany at the recent Olympics, recording one assist in two contests.
In 38 games for the Syracuse Crunch this season, Stachowiak has recorded nine goals and 17 points with a -6 rating. Although it’s his first time playing professionally in North America, Stachowiak spent two years at Michigan State University in the late 2010s, scoring four goals and five points in 40 games.
At 23 years old, Milne is a more recognized talent in the AHL compared to Stachowiak. He’s in his fourth professional season after being selected with the 89th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild. Throughout his AHL career, he has registered 32 goals and 66 points in 191 games with a -35 rating, mostly spent with the Iowa Wild.
Of all the players changing hands in this trade, Mitchell has the most NHL experience. He was in his first year with the Red Wings organization after signing as an unrestricted free agent last summer. In 45 games for the Griffins, the 27-year-old veteran has scored four goals and 20 points with a +27 rating.
Before his time in Michigan, Mitchell spent much of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks organization. Earning much of his NHL experience with the Blackhawks, Mitchell recorded four goals and 16 points in 82 games with a -21 rating. After the 2022-23 season, Chicago traded Mitchell, along with Alec Regula, to the Boston Bruins for Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno.
Lightning Recall Steven Santini
The Lightning announced today that they’ve recalled right-shot defender Steven Santini from AHL Syracuse. He will step into the lineup tonight against the Blue Jackets after Erik Černák left Sunday’s wild 8-7 loss to the Sabres, falling awkwardly on his leg in a fight at the beginning of the second period, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. Head coach Jon Cooper called Černák day-to-day, per Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider, so he isn’t in for an extended absence.
Santini, 31, has been a frequent flyer between Tampa and Syracuse this season. Today marks his fifth recall of the year, but his first since December. A veteran of nine NHL seasons, he joined the Bolts on a two-way deal in free agency in 2024 and signed a two-year extension last June, so he’s still signed through next season. A veteran all-around defender at the AHL level, his nine NHL games this season are already the most he’s played since suiting up a career-high 39 times for the Devils in 2018-19.
The 6’3″ rearguard has been adequate in a short-term support role. He’s only averaging 11:34 of ice time per game, posting an assist and a +1 rating. A physical shutdown defender during his time as a semi-frequent NHL option in New Jersey, he’s not displaying that same penchant for hitting later in his career. His possession numbers at 5-on-5 are also underwater with a 48.1% Corsi share, but he’s riding a 103.6 PDO and has gotten favorable offensive zone usage en route.
Down in Syracuse, he’s the club’s captain and has six assists and a +10 rating in 32 games. Still a high-end defensive threat in the minors, his offense is definitely trailing off. He’s had double-digit points in four straight minor-league seasons, but that streak could come to a close this year.
He was deployed in the lineup earlier this season because there were multiple occassions were the Bolts were missing three or more defenders at a time. They find themselves in a similar pinch now with Černák exiting, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg dealing with a facial fracture, and Darren Raddysh unavailable on bereavement leave following his father’s passing.
Emil Martinsen Lilleberg Out Two Weeks
The Tampa Bay Lightning are again losing some of their defensive depth to injury. The Lightning announced that Emil Martinsen Lilleberg would miss the next two weeks after suffering a facial fracture at practice.
Tampa Bay didn’t specify how Lilleberg suffered the injury, but it’s likely he took an errant puck to the face at practice. It seems that this was an unfortunate accident during practice.
Although the Lightning have suffered multiple injuries on the blue line this season, the defensive corps is in much better shape than it has been for much of the campaign. Including Lilleberg, the Bolts have everyone else available except for Maxwell Crozier.
Today’s update is the second injury Lilleberg has suffered this season. Earlier this year, he missed approximately two months due to an undisclosed injury. In total, he’s skated in 35 games, scoring two goals and six points while averaging 16:56 of ice time.
Unfortunately, through no fault of his own, this season can’t be seen as anything other than a step back for Lilleberg. Last season, his first full year in the NHL, he finished with one goal and 19 points in 76 games with 114 hits. He won’t get near those totals this year, but he’s signed through next season at an incredibly affordable $800K salary, so he’ll have another opportunity to get his career back on track.
Vancouver Canucks Claim Curtis Douglas
The Vancouver Canucks have claimed forward Curtis Douglas off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Canucks have already shipped out a veteran forward and more, such as pending UFA Teddy Blueger, could follow. This claim of Douglas adds a player from outside the organization for the Canucks, who could even use him in the fourth-line center role most recently occupied by Blueger.
Douglas, 26, is one of the NHL’s biggest players. The Oakville, Ontario native stands 6’9″, 242 pounds, and that size is an essential component of the value proposition he presents as an NHL player. He’s not much of a scorer, with just two points through 29 career NHL games, and his offense hasn’t fared too much better at the AHL level, either. But his size and strength give him notable upside as a defensive player and a physical threat, two traits teams often covet on their fourth line.
In Vancouver, Douglas will likely receive a clear opportunity to get regular minutes on a team playing out the stretch of a likely last-place season. He averaged under six minutes of ice time per game in Tampa Bay, but is positioned to see that number increase in Vancouver. Set to become a restricted free agent this summer, he’s likely staring at an extremely important set of games for the future of his career as he looks to prove he has what it takes to stick as an NHL player with the Canucks.
Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Corey Perry
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Tampa Bay Lightning are acquiring veteran forward Corey Perry from the Los Angeles Kings. The trade comes a day after Frank Seravalli of Victory+ reported that Perry had made his intention known to Los Angeles that he would be interested in remaining with the organization. Both organizations have confirmed the deal.
Seravalli shared that the Kings would receive a second-round pick from the Bolts in exchange for Perry’s services. Later, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirmed it was Tampa Bay’s 2028 second-round pick headed back to Los Angeles.
Last offseason, Perry signed a one-year, $2MM contract with the Kings, with performance bonuses. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, Los Angeles recently paid Perry $250K for reaching the 50-game mark. For the remainder of the year, the Bolts will be on the hook for a $125K payment for a Round One win, a $250K for a semi-finals win, and a $125K for a Conference Final win. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period added an interesting twist to his bonus structure, sharing that the Kings are retaining 50% of his salary, which would apply to his bonuses.
It’s a return to Tampa Bay for the 21-year veteran. Perry enjoyed two years with the Lightning from 2021 to 2023, scoring 31 goals and 65 points in 163 games, averaging 12:33 of ice time in a bottom-six role. Since then, he has spent his time in the Western Conference with the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, and Kings.
Although he’s far removed from being a constant threat for the Hart Trophy, Perry has remained a productive forward into his 40s. Since leaving the Lightning after the 2022-23 NHL season, Perry has registered 42 goals and 80 points in 185 games with a +5 rating.
Still, Perry’s recent runs in the Stanley Cup playoffs have become something of a running joke around the league. Since being bought out by the Anaheim Ducks after the 2018-19 campaign, Perry has reached five Stanley Cup Finals and lost each one of them.
Regardless, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t remained productive in the postseason. As he has done in the regular season, Perry has been a steady tertiary scorer in spring hockey. Since the 2019-20 postseason, Perry has scored 28 goals and 52 points in 119 playoff contests.
For Tampa Bay, the team didn’t need to add much on deadline day. The Lightning are already one of the best teams in the NHL, but it never hurts to insert additional goal-scoring, especially at the bottom of a lineup. To boot, Perry is a familiar face and will give the Bolts an extra veteran presence to lean on come playoff time.
From the Kings’ perspective, even if Perry had the desire to remain in Los Angeles for another season or two, it didn’t make much sense from an organizational perspective. Yes, Perry is productive, but he’s into his age-40 season, and the team has a decent crop of young talent that could theoretically fill the void on the bottom-six moving forward.
Still, the team is attempting to add significant draft capital. If the second-round selection is within the next two years, the Kings will have seven picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts, exiting the Anze Kopitar era.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Lightning Shopping Oliver Bjorkstrand
In this evening’s publication of Trade Deadline Thoughts courtesy of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the insider listed Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand on his “names to keep an eye on”.
Standing at #5 in the league, and by no means a seller, it figures that GM Julien BriseBois is looking to move out the 30-year-old’s expiring $5.4MM valued contract in pursuit of other forward depth. Such would be tough news for the veteran, as he still has a role on the contending Lightning, averaging just over 14 minutes a night and getting time on the power play. The Denmark native also has some control over his fate, as he holds a 10-team no trade clause. However, Bjorkstrand’s cap hit could simply be allocated better elsewhere should a deal actually materialize.
Bjorkstrand has 28 points in 59 games on the season, solid production, but not worth his ticket. Also not helping matters is that his possession metrics at 5-on-5 have dipped this year, a -2.7% in relative corsi for at even strength. Tampa Bay has had more success at even strength when he’s not on the ice, and that’s especially impactful as he takes up over $5MM for a team which is right against the cap.
Exactly one year ago today, Bjorkstrand was acquired by Tampa Bay along with Yanni Gourde from Seattle. He had been productive with the Kraken, hovering around the 50-point level, and figured to be scoring depth for the Bolts. One year later though, his inflated contract could result in another deal.
If Bjorkstrand would actually be moved, the most likely outcome would be somewhat similar to Edmonton’s dealing with Andrew Mangiapane. BriseBois would need to add draft sweeteners while simultaneously bringing in a respectable forward. It came at a high cost to the Oilers, who had to surrender a conditional 2027 first-round pick. However as Bjorkstrand’s deal comes to an end this summer, it should be closer to the third-round pick range. Tampa Bay holds both their second and third round picks for 2026, but without their first, and a fourth, they’d want to avoid running so thin and could look to 2027 or 2028 instead.
Regardless, the question stands as to who they could be after. With Dominic James set to miss eight-to-ten weeks with a lower body injury, the Bolts may be wise to add another center. Internally, Gourde has regressed this year and is best suited in a limited role. Nashville’s Erik Haula or Toronto’s Scott Laughton are options which shouldn’t break the bank, and Brayden Schenn could be a dark horse veteran option, but unlikely, as Bjorkstrand’s outgoing salary along with retention would be key factors.
If content to pursue wingers instead, they could bring back a familiar face. Calgary’s Blake Coleman or the Rangers’ Taylor Raddysh would be welcome additions.
At this point Tampa Bay has seldom been directly linked to any forwards in serious discussion. However, if rumors start picking up Bjorkstrand could be a name to watch. Clearly too late for him to rebuild his stock and bounce back onto another contender, the two-way forward would in all likelihood utilize a larger role on a non-playoff team to help with his free agency optics this summer.