The Tampa Bay Lightning certainly made headlines in the offseason by signing Jake Guentzel and letting Steven Stamkos sign with the Nashville Predators. That was not the only significant change to the roster, as Tanner Jeannot, Tyler Motte, and Calvin de Haan are gone, along with rentals Matt Dumba and Anthony Duclair. They have been replaced by Cam Atkinson, Zemgus Girgensons, and Jesse Ylonen.
The ripple effect of these moves goes up and down the entire organization. In their deals, they also acquired some younger talent to bolster their prospect pool. They could significantly impact their American Hockey League (AHL) franchise, the Syracuse Crunch as general manager Julien BriseBois looked to add talent to its shallow prospect pool while retooling a team that had the league’s top power-play unit and fifth-best penalty kill last season, but its No. 22 ranking in goals allowed was a condemnation of its 5-on-5 play.
Key Departures
Two players who were fixtures for the Crunch and saw some time with the Lightning signed with other teams. Cole Koepke, who signed with the Boston Bruins, spent the majority of his 2023-24 campaign in Syracuse, where he tallied 20 goals and 39 points in 53 games. Koepke also made nine appearances for the Lightning during the 2023-24 season and played well for most of his 6:42 per night with two assists and 23 hits.
Alex Barre Boulet signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens in early July. The 27-year-old tallied six goals and three assists in 36 games with the Lightning last season. The Montmagny, QC native also registered 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 23 games with the Crunch before adding seven points (four goals, three assists) in eight playoff contests. In 68 career NHL games with the Lightning and the Seattle Kraken, the left-shot forward has totaled 18 points (12 goals, six assists).
New Additions Via Trade
In the trade that sent Mikhail Sergachev to Utah, the Lightning received Conor Geekie as part of the package. The center picked up 43 goals and 56 assists in 55 games last season, split between the Wenatchee Wild and Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League. Drafted 11th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2022, the 20-year-old will likely start the season in Syracuse. However, a successful transition to professional hockey could quickly see him in a Lightning sweater.
The Lightning then acquired forward Lukas Svejkovsky from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Bennett MacArthur. The 22-year-old played in 30 games with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers last season, recording 16 goals and 37 points. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound forward also played in 19 games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and tallied two goals and four points. Pittsburgh originally drafted him in the fourth round, 108th overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Free Agent Signings
On the first day of free agency, the Lightning signed defensemen Tobie Paquette-Bisson, Derrick Pouliot, Steven Santini, and forward Jesse Ylönen to one-year, two-way contracts.
Of the four, Ylonen could be the first to see time with the Lightning. The 24-year-old skated in 59 games for the Canadiens last season, tallying four goals and eight points with a plus-2 rating while averaging 10:14 time on ice per game. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound winger has played in 111 career games, all with Montreal, across four seasons.
Paquette-Bisson, 27, skated in 69 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket last season and posted nine goals and 27 points with a team-leading plus-21 rating. The 6-foot-3, 194-pound blueliner ranked second among all Laval defensemen in goals, assists (18) and points. Pouliot played in 64 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars and led all defensemen in goals (nine), assists (37), points (46) and power-play points (20).
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Santini, a native of Bronxville, New York, skated in 64 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign last season, registering five goals and 20 points. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Santini ranked second among Reign defensemen for goals, tied for second in points, and fourth in assists (15). He has skated in 123 career NHL games between the New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues.
While some of the moves made are unpopular with the fan base, BriseBois’ decisions in the offseason were about improving the Lightning and the Crunch not only this season but also beyond.
