Lightning's Jack Finley: Agrees to three-year contract
Rotowire
Finley signed a three-year, $2.325 million contract with Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Finley had 14 goals and 28 points in 40 regular-season appearances with AHL Syracuse in 2024-25. He made his NHL debut in a 6-2 loss to Boston on Jan. 14, posting one shot on goal and one hit in 8:25 of ice time. The 22-year-old forward will probably spend most, if not all, of the 2025-26 campaign in the minors.
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Lightning's Max Crozier: Signs three-year deal
Rotowire
Crozier inked a three-year, $2.325 million contract with Tampa Bay on Friday. The agreement is two-way for the 2025-26 campaign, but it converts to a one-way contract for the remainder of the term.
Crozier had nine goals, 34 points and 75 PIM across 52 regular-season appearances with AHL Syracuse in 2024-25. The 25-year-old defenseman also has two assists, seven PIM and 27 hits in 18 career NHL outings with Tampa Bay. The structure of the deal suggests that the Lightning see Crozier as someone who might be able to maintain a role on the NHL roster by 2026-27. In the meantime, Crozier will compete for an Opening Night spot with Tampa Bay during training camp, but he'll likely start next season in the minors.
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Lightning's Steve Santini: Agrees to two-year deal
Rotowire
Santini signed a two-year, two-way contract with Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Santini collected six goals and 17 points in 58 regular-season appearances with AHL Syracuse in 2024-25. He skated in one game with the Lightning last campaign, posting one shot on goal, one hit and two blocks in 11:37 of playing time versus Calgary on Dec. 12. The 30-year-old defender will probably spend most, if not all, of 2025-26 in the minors.
Lightning's Ryan Fanti: Signs one-year deal with Tampa Bay
Rotowire
Fanti signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning on Monday, according to PuckPedia.
Fanti played on a minor-league only contract in 2024-25 and appeared in 37 regular-season games with ECHL Orlando, posting an 18-13-5 record, .907 save percentage and 2.71 GAA. He also made seven regular-season appearances with AHL Syracuse this past campaign, going 3-1-0 while registering a stellar .946 save percentage and a 1.45 GAA. The 25-year-old backstop will probably start in the minors in 2025-26, but if he continues to put up solid numbers with the Crunch, he could eventually challenge Jonas Johansson for the No. 2 gig behind Andrei Vasilevskiy.
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Lightning's Yanni Gourde: Grabs six-year deal
Rotowire
Gourde inked a six-year, $14 million contract with Tampa Bay on Monday.
Gourde's cap hit under his new deal comes in at $2.33 million AAV, less than half of his previous six-year contract that came in at $5.17 million AAV. While he may not be the 20-goal producer he was in his first stint with the Lightning, Gourde still reached the 30-point threshold for the eighth straight year in 2024-25, which he split between Seattle and Tampa Bay. Looking ahead to 2025-26, Gourde will likely primarily fill a middle-six role and could see some power-play ice time, though the bulk of his value comes from his defensive work.
Lightning's Wojciech Stachowiak: Secures one-year deal
Rotowire
Stachowiak signed a one-year, entry-level contract with Tampa Bay on Thursday.
After going undrafted coming out of Michigan State, Stachowiak spent the last five seasons playing in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. With Ingolstadt ERC this season, the 25-year-old Polish national registered 10 goals and 20 assists in 52 regular-season contests before adding another 11 points in 12 playoff games. Given the one-year deal, Stachowiak should be given a good shot at earning a roster spot coming out of training camp.
Lightning's Harrison Meneghin: Grabs entry-level deal
Rotowire
Meneghin agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with Tampa Bay on Monday.
Meneghin saw action in 35 games with WHL Medicine Hat this season, in which he posted a 23-9-2 record and 2.56 GAA. The 2024 seventh-round pick also went 14-1 in the postseason with a .906 save percentage. With his contract in hand, Meneghin figures to make the jump to the professional ranks next year, likely spending several seasons developing in the minors with AHL Syracuse.
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