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Training Camp Cuts: 10/1/25

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There’s less than a week until the first game of the 2025-26 NHL season. Outside of a handful of teams, most clubs have around 35 players remaining on their training camp rosters, leaving plenty of work to do before opening night. As always, you can keep track of every team’s current iteration at our Training Camp Rosters tracker. Today’s cuts are as follows:

Boston Bruins (per PuckPedia)

D Billy Sweezey (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)

Colorado Avalanche (Per team announcement)

D Wyatt Aamodt (to AHL Colorado, pending waivers)
F Daniil Gushchin (to AHL Colorado, pending waivers)
F Maros Jedlicka (to AHL Colorado)
G Mathis Langevin (to QMJHL Rimouski)

Detroit Red Wings (per PuckPedia and team announcement)

F Carson Bantle (released from PTO to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Carter Bear (to WHL Everett)
F Alexandre Doucet (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Sheldon Dries (to AHL Grand Rapids, pending waivers)
G Carter Gylander (to ECHL Toledo)
D Alex Kannok Leipert (released from PTO to AHL Grand Rapids)
D William Lagesson (to AHL Grand Rapids, pending waivers)
F John Leonard (to AHL Grand Rapids, pending waivers)
D Ian Mitchell (to AHL Grand Rapids, pending waivers)
F Jakub Rychlovský (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Gabriel Seger (released from PTO to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Dominik Shine (to AHL Grand Rapids, pending waivers)
F Eduards Tralmaks (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Jacob Truscott (released from PTO to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Austin Watson (to AHL Grand Rapids, pending waivers)

Florida Panthers (per PuckPedia)

F MacKenzie Entwistle (to AHL Charlotte, pending waivers)
F Nolan Foote (to AHL Charlotte, pending waivers)
F Wilmer Skoog (to AHL Charlotte, pending waivers)

Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)

D Samuel Bolduc (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Logan Brown (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Martin Chromiak (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Kenny Connors (to AHL Ontario)
G Pheonix Copley (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
D Jakub Dvorak (to AHL Ontario)
F Glenn Gawdin (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Liam Greentree (to OHL Windsor)
F Cole Guttman (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
D Joe Hicketts (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
D Kirill Kirsanov (to AHL Ontario)
F Andre Lee (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
D Jack Millar (to AHL Ontario)
F Francesco Pinelli (to AHL Ontario)
G Erik Portillo (to AHL Ontario)
D Tim Rego (to AHL Ontario)
D Otto Salin (to AHL Ontario)
G Isaiah Saville (to AHL Ontario)
F Akil Thomas (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Taylor Ward (to AHL Ontario, pending waivers)
F Jared Wright (to AHL Ontario)

Nashville Predators (per PuckPedia and team announcement)

D Andreas Englund (to AHL Milwaukee, pending waivers)
F Reid Schaefer (to AHL Milwaukee)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement and PuckPedia)

F Jacob Gaucher (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Lane Pederson (to AHL Lehigh Valley, pending waivers)

San Jose Sharks (per PuckPedia)

F Patrick Giles (to AHL San Jose, pending waivers)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team announcement)

F Nicholas Abruzzese (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
F Dylan Duke (to AHL Syracuse)
F Boris Katchouk (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
F Jakob Pelletier (to AHL Syracuse, pending waivers)
F Scott Sabourin (to AHL Syracuse)
D Roman Schmidt (to AHL Syracuse)
F Wojciech Stachowiak (to AHL Syracuse)

Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)

G Jaxson Stauber (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)

Washington Capitals (per team announcement and PuckPedia)

D Louis Belpedio (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
G Garin Bjorklund (to AHL Hershey)
F Graeme Clarke (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Henrik Rybinski (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Bogdan Trineyev (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)

Winnipeg Jets (per PuckPedia and Murat Ates of The Athletic)

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
F Colby Barlow (to AHL Manitoba)
D Kale Clague (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
F Samuel Fagemo (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
G Thomas Milic (to AHL Manitoba)
D Elias Salomonsson (to AHL Manitoba)
F Brayden Yager (to AHL Manitoba)

Waivers: 10/1/25

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With less than a week to go until the regular season, waiver season is in full swing. According to PuckPedia, the largest waiver placement of the preseason has taken place:

Boston Bruins

D Billy Sweezey

Colorado Avalanche

D Wyatt Aamodt
F Daniil Gushchin

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries
D William Lagesson
F John Leonard
D Ian Mitchell
F Dominik Shine
F Austin Watson

Florida Panthers

F MacKenzie Entwistle
F Nolan Foote
F Wilmer Skoog

Los Angeles Kings

D Samuel Bolduc
F Logan Brown
F Martin Chromiak
G Pheonix Copley
F Glenn Gawdin
F Cole Guttman
D Joe Hicketts
F Andre Lee
F Akil Thomas
F Taylor Ward

Nashville Predators

D Andreas Englund

Philadelphia Flyers

F Lane Pederson

San Jose Sharks

F Patrick Giles

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Nicholas Abruzzese
F Boris Katchouk
F Jakob Pelletier

Utah Mammoth

G Jaxson Stauber

Washington Capitals

D Louis Belpedio
F Graeme Clarke
F Henrik Rybinski
F Bogdan Trineyev

Winnipeg Jets

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan
D Kale Clague
F Samuel Fagemo

Lightning Recall Scott Sabourin

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  • The Lightning announced that they have recalled winger Scott Sabourin from AHL Syracuse. Cut earlier this month, he’ll now get a chance to skate in another preseason game or two and stake his case for a possible in-season recall.  Signed to a one-year, two-way deal this summer, the 33-year-old had 25 points and 111 penalty minutes while playing with San Jose’s AHL affiliate last season and has 47 career NHL appearances under his belt.  Any time spent on the roster for the rest of the preseason won’t affect his waiver exemption which is 10 games or 30 days during the regular season.

Goalie Notes: Dostal, Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck

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The Anaheim Ducks announced today that young starting netminder Lukáš Dostál will be day-to-day with a lower-body injury. 

The 25-year-old is a major key for the Ducks this season, fresh off signing a five-year contract in July. Having made additional offseason moves that affirm the team is pushing for a step forward, much will ride on Dostál and his ability to fill the void left by stalwart John Gibson, who was finally dealt over the summer. Anaheim has steadily developed the talented goaltender, with a workload that has gradually increased year by year. 

Now, with Gibson moving on, Dostal is the undisputed #1, with a fellow Czech, veteran Petr Mrázek in waiting. The Ducks have another notable former Red Wing in their goaltender room as well, in Ville Husso. Yet the 30-year-old, who once flashed serious potential, is likely set to hold things down for AHL San Diego, barring any setbacks from Dostál. 

Additional goaltender notes:

Training Camp Cuts: 9/28/25

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The countdown to the NHL season has reached single-digits. Teams will kickoff in just nine days, with the preseason set to last just six more days. That will put the pressure on every team to begin finalize their opening night roster – and quickly expand the list of exciting names on the waiver wire. Each team’s current roster can be found at our Training Camp Roster Tracker. Here is the list of today’s cuts:

Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)

F Justin Bailey (to AHL San Diego)
D Jeremie Biakabutuka (to AHL San Diego)
D Nikolas Brouillard (to AHL San Diego)
G Vyacheslav Buteyets (to AHL San Diego)
F Judd Caulfield (to AHL San Diego)
G Calle Clang (to AHL San Diego)
F Nathan Gaucher (to AHL San Diego)
F Nico Myatovic (to AHL San Diego)
F Sasha Pastujov (to AHL San Diego)
F Matthew Phillips (to AHL San Diego)
F Yegor Sidorov (to AHL San Diego)
D Konnor Smith (to AHL San Diego)
G Tomas Suchanek (to AHL San Diego)
D Noah Warren (to AHL San Diego)
F Jaxsen Wiebe (to AHL San Diego)
C Jan Mysak (placed on waivers with intent to reassign to AHL San Diego)

Boston Bruins (per team announcement)

F Joey Abate (to AHL Providence)
G Luke Cavallin (to AHL Providence)
F Ty Cheveldayoff (to AHL Providence)
D Jackson Edward (to AHL Providence)
D Colin Felix (to AHL Providence)
D Ty Gallagher (to AHL Providence)
D Loke Johansson (to AHL Providence)
F Jake Schmaltz (to AHL Providence)
D Max Wanner (to AHL Providence)
G Simon Zajicek (to AHL Providence)

Carolina Hurricanes (per team announcement)

G Amir Miftakhov (to AHL Chicago)
G Ruslan Khazheyev (to AHL Chicago)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team announcement)

G Stanislav Berezhnoy (to AHL Rockford)
F Jackson Cates (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
F Gavin Hayes (to AHL Rockford)
F Martin Misiak (to AHL Rockford)

Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)

D Ronnie Attard (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Colorado)
F Chase Bradley (to AHL Colorado)
D Alex Gagne (to AHL Colorado)
F Cooper Gay (to AHL Colorado)
G Kyle Keyser (to AHL Colorado)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

F Luca Del Bel Belluz (to AHL Cleveland)
F James Malatesta (to AHL Cleveland)
F Max McCue (to AHL Cleveland)
F Luca Pinelli (to AHL Cleveland)
D Corson Ceulemans (to AHL Cleveland)
D Stanislav Svozil (to AHL Cleveland)
G Nolan Lalonde (to AHL Cleveland)
F Hudson Fasching (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Cleveland)
F Brendan Gaunce (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Cleveland)
F Mikael Pyyhtia (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Cleveland)
F Oiva Keskinen (to Tappara, Liiga)
D Brendan Smith (released from PTO)

Dallas Stars (per team announcement)

F Francesco Arcuri (to AHL Texas)
D Tristan Bertucci (to AHL Texas)
F Justin Ertel (to AHL Texas)
F Emil Hemming (to AHL Texas)
G Ben Kraws (to AHL Texas)
D Christian Kyrou (to AHL Texas)
F Ayrton Martino (to AHL Texas)
F Angus MacDonnell (to AHL Texas)
D Connor Punnett (to AHL Texas)
F Harrison Scott (to AHL Texas)
F Matthew Seminoff (to AHL Texas)
D Trey Taylor (to AHL Texas)
G Arno Tiefensee (to AHL Texas)
D Gavin White (to AHL Texas)
D Tommy Bergsland (released from ATO to AHL Texas)
F Sean Chisholm (released from ATO to AHL Texas)
D Aidan Hreschuk (released from ATO to AHL Texas)
F Artem Shlaine (released from ATO to AHL Texas)
F Jack Becker (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
G Antoine Bibeau (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
F Cross Hanas (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
D Michael Karow (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
D Kyle Looft (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
F Curtis MacKenzie (released from PTO to AHL Texas)
F Kaleb Pearson (released from PTO to AHL Texas)

Los Angeles Kings (per team announcement)

F Jacob Doty (to AHL Ontario)
F Jack Hughes (to AHL Ontario)
F Kenta Isogai (to AHL Ontario)

Minnesota Wild (per team announcement)

F Bradley Marek (to AHL Iowa)
F Riley Heidt (to AHL Iowa)
D Kyle Masters (to AHL Iowa)
D Jack Peart (to AHL Iowa)
F Elliot Desnoyers (to AHL Iowa)
F Jean-Luc Foudy (to AHL Iowa)
F Mark Liwiski (to AHL Iowa)
F Ryan Sandelin (to AHL Iowa)
D Mike Koster (to AHL Iowa)
D Will Zmolek (to AHL Iowa)

Montreal Canadiens (per team announcement)

F Vincent Arseneau (to AHL Laval)
F Alex Belzile (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
D Nathan Clurman (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
F Lucas Condotta (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
F Laurent Dauphin (to AHL Laval)
F Jared Davidson (to AHL Laval)
D Marc Del Gaizo (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
F Will Dineen (to AHL Laval)
F Joe Dunlap (to AHL Laval)
F Mark Estapa (to AHL Laval)
F Sean Farrell (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Laval)
G Jacob Fowler (to AHL Laval)
G Benjamin Gaudreau (to AHL Laval)
F Egor Guriunov (to AHL Laval)
D Joshua Jacobs (to AHL Laval)
G Hunter Jones (to AHL Laval)
F Riley Kidney (to AHL Laval)
D Darick Louis-Jean (to AHL Laval)
G Kevin Mandolese (to AHL Laval)
D Charles Martin (to AHL Laval)
F Filip Mesar (to AHL Laval)
F Israel Mianscum (to AHL Laval)
D Ryan O’Rourke (to AHL Laval)
D Tobie Paquette-Bisson (to AHL Laval)
F Vinzenz Rohrer (to Zurich, NL)
F Joshua Roy (to AHL Laval)
F Xavier Simoneau (to AHL Laval)
F Tyler Thorpe (to AHL Laval)
F Luke Tuch (to AHL Laval)
D Wyatte Wylie (to AHL Laval)

San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)

F Carson Wetsch (to WHL Kelowna)
D Haoxi (Simon) Wang (to OHL Oshawa)

St. Louis Blues (per team announcement)

F Nikita Alexandrov (to AHL Springfield)
F Samuel Bitten (to AHL Springfield)
F Hugh McGing (to AHL Springfield)
F Matthew Peca (to AHL Springfield)
F Juraj Pekarcik (to AHL Springfield)
F Dylan Peterson (to AHL Springfield)
F Simon Robertsson (to AHL Springfield)
F Sam Stange (to AHL Springfield)
F Jakub Stancl (to AHL Springfield)
F Nikita Susev (to AHL Springfield)
F Chris Wagner (to AHL Springfield)
D Michael Buchinger (to AHL Springfield)
D Quinton Burns (to AHL Springfield)
D Marc-Andre Gaudet (to AHL Springfield)
D Samuel Johannesson (to AHL Springfield)
D Anthony Kehrer (to AHL Springfield)
G Will Cranley (to AHL Springfield)
G Vadim Zherenko (to AHL Springfield)
F Justin Carbonneau (to QMJHL Blainville)
D Adam Jiricek (to OHL Brantford)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team announcement)

F Tristan Allard (to AHL Syracuse)
F Cooper Flinton (to AHL Syracuse)
F Brendan Furry (to AHL Syracuse)
F Ethan Gauthier (to AHL Syracuse)
F Niko Huuhtanen (to AHL Syracuse)
F Spencer Kersten (to AHL Syracuse)
F Connor Kurth (to AHL Syracuse)
F Lucas Mercuri (to AHL Syracuse)
F Reece Newkirk (to AHL Syracuse)
F Milo Roelens (to AHL Syracuse)
F Gabriel Szturc (to AHL Syracuse)
D Charle-Edouard D’Astous (to AHL Syracuse)
D Dyllan Gill (to AHL Syracuse)
D Maxim Groshev (to AHL Syracuse)
D Chris Harpur (to AHL Syracuse)
D Tommy Miller (to AHL Syracuse)
D Matteo Petroniro (to AHL Syracuse)
G Harrison Meneghin (to AHL Syracuse)
G Ryan Fanti (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Syracuse)
F Scott Sabourin (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Syracuse)
D Steven Santini (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Syracuse)
D Simon Lundmark (placed on waivers with the intent to reassign to AHL Syracuse)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)

F Miroslav Holinka (to WHL Edmonton)

Winnipeg Jets (per announcement from AHL Manitoba)

D Dylan Anhorn (released from PTO to AHL Manitoba)
F Jacob Julien (to AHL Manitoba)
G Isaac Poulter (to AHL Manitoba)
F Fabian Wagner (to AHL Manitoba)

Lightning Not Concerned About Andrei Vasilevskiy’s Availability For Regular Season

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There’s been something of a hullabaloo in Tampa Bay regarding the status – or lack of – surrounding star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. He’s not practicing today, marking a week since he was last on the ice with the club and four days since head coach Jon Cooper said he was being held out for “player management.”

Yesterday, Cooper told Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that “there’s every expectation Vasilevskiy will have enough time and game action to be ready for the regular-season opener Oct. 9 against Ottawa,” although he’s not expected to practice with the team again until Monday. The team has still been silent on what kind of injury he’s dealing with, or if he’s even dealing with an injury-related issue at all.

Vasilevskiy has rarely missed significant time in his 11-year career. The 31-year-old only has three absences of 10 or more games on record: 12 games due to blood clots while he was breaking into the league back in 2015-16, 14 games due to a foot fracture early in the 2018-19 season, and the first 20 games of the 2023-24 season after it became apparent during training camp he needed back surgery.

Nonetheless, Cooper’s comments earlier this week indicated the Lightning are at least beginning to develop concern about Vasilevskiy shouldering his usual workload in 2025-26. He’s started 60-plus games in three of the last four years – an extreme rarity in today’s NHL. Since Vasilevskiy took over as Tampa’s starter in the 2016-17 season, only Connor Hellebuyck (532) has more starts than Vasilevskiy’s 496.

Performance isn’t a huge concern. Vasilevskiy is coming off one of the more quietly dominant seasons of his career – and an important one for his legacy after his numbers dipped following his return from surgery in 2023-24. He rightfully finished second in Vezina Trophy voting after racking up a .921 SV% and 2.18 GAA, both his best marks in four years, in 63 starts – one short of his career-high.

Depth is, though. If the Bolts are intent on bringing Vasilevskiy back to the 55-start range, that would mean close to 30 appearances for seldom-used backup Jonas Johansson. The 30-year-old Swede has been one of the more consistently below-average names in the league since first breaking onto an NHL roster with the Sabres in 2019-20, logging a career .890 SV% and 3.30 GAA. That works out to 31.6 goals allowed above average over the course of his 70-start, 80-game career. When required to step in for Vasilevskiy during his back surgery recovery two years ago, he managed a 12-7-5 record in his 26 appearances but only had a .890 SV% and 3.37 GAA, working out to -8.9 goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/24/25

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The 2025-26 NHL preseason is in full swing. As teams evaluate their younger talents and bubble players, they will continue to make roster cuts to reach the 23-man limit for opening night. As always, you can stay up to date with each team’s roster here. Today’s cuts are as follows:

Chicago Blackhawks (per team announcement)

F Nathan Behm (to WHL Kamloops)
F Parker Holmes (to OHL Brantford)
F Jack Pridham (to OHL Kitchener)
F Marek Vanacker (to OHL Brantford)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

D Charlie Elick (to WHL Tri-City)

New York Islanders (per team announcement)

D Kashawn Aitcheson (to OHL Barrie)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)

F Matthew Gard (to WHL Red Deer)
D Andre Mondoux (released from ATO to OHL Kingston)
D Luke Vlooswyk (to WHL Red Deer)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team announcement)

D Everett Baldwin (to QMJHL Saint John)
F Ethan Czata (to OHL Niagara)
F Aiden Foster (to WHL Prince George)
D Jan Golicic (to QMJHL Gatineau)
G Caleb Heil (to USHL Madison)
D Maddox Labre (released from ATO to QMJHL Victoriaville)
F Marco Mignosa (to OHL Sault Ste. Marie)
F Sam O’Reilly (to OHL London)
F Kaden Pitre (to OHL Flint)
D Grant Spada (to OHL Guelph)

Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)

F Coster Dunn (released from ATO to WHL Seattle)
F Carson Harmer (released from ATO to OHL Saginaw)
D Ludvig Lafton (to USHL Dubuque)
D Tomas Lavoie (to QMJHL Cape Breton)
D Max Psenicka (to WHL Portland)
D Veeti Vaisanen (to WHL Medicine Hat)

Lightning Return Sam O’Reilly To Juniors

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Center Sam O’Reilly, the Lightning’s No. 1 prospect, is among the training camp cuts announced by the club today. He’ll return to the OHL’s London Knights for a third full season in the major junior ranks.

While there were some who believed O’Reilly could challenge for a nine-game trial with a strong training camp, an early return to juniors isn’t a huge surprise. The 19-year-old pivot was the last selection of the first round by the Oilers in last year’s draft, but Edmonton traded him to the Bolts in July in exchange for the signing rights to reigning Hobey Baker Award winner Isaac Howard.

Howard was previously Tampa’s top prospect, but a disagreement over the role he would play in 2025-26 led him to decide not to sign with the club – essentially forcing a trade unless they wanted to lose him for nothing in free agency next summer. O’Reilly was a shrewd consolation prize, albeit a younger one who needs a little more runway before he’s ready to make an NHL impact. The 6’1″, 190-lb pivot projects squarely as a bottom-six piece long-term. He’s a strong playmaker, registering 79 assists in 130 games for the Knights over the past few years, but his top calling cards are his physical involvement and defensive acumen.

That boosts his opportunities for making an NHL transition – unlike some young first-round talents, a fourth-line workload wouldn’t be detrimental to his development if that’s where he first lands upon cracking the Bolts’ roster. Nonetheless, more junior development isn’t the worst thing in the world to see if he can improve his offensive skillset as well and gain the tools necessary to push for a more sound middle-six role in Tampa long-term.

O’Reilly will be turning pro in 2026-27. Whether that’s because he cracks the NHL roster out of camp next fall or starts in AHL Syracuse remains to be seen. Assuming O’Reilly does not reach 10 NHL games this season – an overwhelmingly likely scenario given the early nature of today’s cut – his entry-level contract will slide for a second consecutive campaign. Tampa Bay will still owe him his $96K signing bonus. As a result, his ELC will carry a decreased cap hit of $900,333 when it does go into effect for 2026-27, down from its initial cap hit of $964K had O’Reilly been in the NHL since signing the deal with Edmonton back in October 2024. He’ll be a restricted free agent at age 23 in the 2029 offseason.

Latest On Andrei Vasilevskiy

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Tampa Bay Lightning star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy did not practice today, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Eduardo A. Encina, an absence that marks a third consecutive day of practice missed. Head coach Jon Cooper told the media Saturday that Vasilevskiy’s absence was related to “player management,” adding that the Lightning will look to “manage” Vasilevskiy this season to keep him in the best possible shape. While there is no firm indication that Vasilevskiy is dealing with any injury, with each passing day Vasilevskiy misses his status becomes more of a storyline to watch in the NHL.

Encina specifically noted that this current absence “seems too much like” Vasilevskiy’s training camp absence two years ago, one that led to him missing two months due to lower back surgery. Although there is no further word on Vasilevskiy’s status than what Cooper has said, keeping Vasilevskiy in as strong shape as possible has to be one of the Lightning’s top priorities. The 31-year-old has long been one of the league’s elite netminders, and his .921 save percentage across 63 games last season was an exceptional bounce-back season after a 2023-24 campaign that was below the high standards of performance he’s set.

Lightning Sign Dominic James To Entry-Level Deal

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The Lightning have signed college free agent forward Dominic James to an entry-level contract, per a team press release. It’s a two-year deal for the 23-year-old, who was initially a Blackhawks draft pick but became an unrestricted free agent last month after failing to sign with them following his senior season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a $910K cap hit and an AAV of $975K, breaking down as follows:

2025-26: $775K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $102.5K games played bonus
2026-27: $850K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $27.5K games played bonus

James, a sixth-round selection in the 2022 draft, had a strong showing for the Bulldogs in 2024-25 after losing most of his junior year to injury. He appeared in 35 games, serving as an alternate captain and leading the team in scoring with a 14-16–30 line. Those numbers brought him to 30 goals, 47 assists, and 77 points in 111 games for his collegiate career.

The Michigan native went undrafted twice before being selected by Chicago. In the 2021-22 campaign that preceded his selection, he worked his way onto the United States’ roster for the World Juniors, scoring one assist in five games at the tournament amid his freshman season in Duluth.

James wasn’t a huge loss for an already deep Blackhawks prospect pool. He didn’t check in as one of the top 15 names in the system to watch when Scott Wheeler of The Athletic did his last round of rankings in February. He could challenge as a top-10 or top-15 piece in a markedly weaker Tampa pool, though. He’s a significant addition for the club in that regard, especially after they lost a college free agent to the Avalanche when 2021 sixth-rounder Alex Gagne signed in Colorado a few weeks ago.

He’ll be ticketed to spend the year with the Bolts’ AHL affiliate in Syracuse. A midseason call-up wouldn’t be out of the question, but expecting him to compete for an NHL job – particularly after not starting camp with the Bolts – isn’t realistic.

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