Latest news and updates about the Lightning
The 2026 edition of NHL free agency opened on Wednesday with several notable players quickly finding new homes. Stars who are already off the market include Sergei Bobrovsky (Toronto Maple Leafs), John Carlson (Tampa Bay Lightning), Anders Lee (Utah Mammoth), and Jacob Trouba (San Jose Sharks).
Emma Lingan, Michael Augello and Jim Parsons discuss Alex Ovechkin re-signing in Washington, Frederik Andersen joining the Oilers, John Carlson signing with the Lightning and much more.
NHL free agency got off to a frenzied start on Wednesday, July 1. Big-ticket players John Carlson (Tampa Bay Lightning), Sergei Bobrovsky (Toronto Maple Leafs), Boone Jenner (Washington Capitals), Jacob Trouba (San Jose Sharks), Mario Ferraro (Winnipeg Jets) and Mason…
The Tampa Bay Lightning have added one of the biggest names available on the free-agent market. The Lightning have signed defenseman John Carlson to a two-year contract worth $17 million total, carrying an $8.5 million average annual value. The Lightning confirmed the signing, with GM Julien BriseBois filling the hole on the right side of the blue line left by Darren Raddysh, who was signed and traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs last week. Beating Out the Champs Carlson reached the open m...
Julien BriseBois waited until later in the day to nab the top defenseman left on the market, but he got his man as the Tampa Bay Lightning sign John Carlson to a two-year deal with an AAV of $8.5 million. We’ll have more on the signing later this afternoon, but it was a possibility we speculated about last month . The official press release: TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman John Carlson to a two-year contract worth an AAV of $8.5 million, vice pre...
Defenseman John Carlson, whose rights the Carolina Hurricanes made a trade for with their final pick during the NHL Entry Draft on Saturday, ended up signing with the Tampa Bay Lighting. After all the rumors about the starting price for him being $10 million times two, or more, he ended up signing for $8.5 million […]
Former Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson has found his new home. Carlson signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning worth $8.5 million per season. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun first reported the news shortly before midnight. Wake up, we have some news 👀 We've signed defenseman John Carlson to a two-year contract worth an
NHL free agency takes no prisoners, and it’s been a frenzy of transactions across the league on day one of the new league year. Just a few days ago, the Carolina Hurricanes traded with the Anaheim Ducks for signing rights to defenseman John Carlson. Well, his tenure in Carolina did not last very long, as […] The post Recently Acquired Hurricanes Player Signs with Tampa Bay Lightning in NHL Free Agency appeared first on HEAVY .
Veteran defenseman John Carlson is on the move again after helping the Anaheim Ducks reach the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Carlson has amassed 170 goals, 785 points and 396 penalty minutes in 1,159 games over 17 NHL seasons. He was also a Norris Trophy finalist in 2020 after leading all defensemen with 60 assists and 75 points.
Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka explained why he traded Dennis Hildeby to the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 1.With the Maple Leafs signing Sergei Bobrovsky to a free agent deal for three years and $21 million, plus with backup goalie Anthony Stolarz in the fold, it was going to be tough for the Maple […] The post John Chayka Explains Why He Traded Dennis Hildeby appeared first on HEAVY .
Following the somewhat shocking trade of Nick Paul, the Tampa Bay Bay Lightning continued adding goaltenders to the system as they announced the signing of Olivier Rodeigue and Mads Sogaard along with defenseman Michael Callahan. All three players were signed to one-year, two-way contracts. Prior to free agency opening, the Lightning had just three goaltenders under contract for next season: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jonas Johansson, and prospect Harrison Meneghin. Considering Meneghin had one ...
The Lightning add some organizational depth between the pipes, while bringing in a young blueliner.
Paul is very familiar with the Leafs, having played in the same division for his entire career.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired goaltender Dennis Hildeby, along with a fourth-round pick in 2027 and a third-round pick in 2028, from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Nick Paul.
During a busy opening day of free agency, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Nick Paul from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and 2028 third-round pick, the team confirmed Wednesday. Paul registered seven goals and 15 points in 51 games with the Lightning last season. He’s been a consistent thorn…
The Toronto Maple Leafs remain the busiest team of the day, acquiring another excellent piece for the bottom six, in Nick Paul from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goalie Dennis Hildeby. The Leafs have acquired Nick Paul from the Lightning for Dennis Hildeby and two draft picks pic.twitter.com/9vCditJ6Dg — TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) July 1, 2026 With this move, Toronto has acquired another "Leafs killer," adding to the acquisition of Sergei Bobrovsky . Paul is remembered in The Six ...
Bjorkstrand is coming off of the worst season of his NHL career, as he had just 12 goals and 32 points in 80 games with the Lightning.
The New York Rangers are adding another veteran winger, with Oliver Bjorkstrand heading to Broadway in free agency. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Bjorkstrand is signing a one-year, $4.5M deal with the Rangers. Bjorkstrand spent last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, posting 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in 80 games. His previous contract carried a $5.4 million cap hit and expired after the 2025-26 season, making him one of the more notable middle-six winger options available...
Over the last several months, the Chicago Blackhawks gave their best effort at re-signing pending unrestricted free-agent forward Ilya Mikheyev […] The post Now-Former Blackhawks Forward Mikheyev Signs Four-Year Deal With Lightning appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now .
Carlile had a goal and two assists for three points and 40 penalty minutes in 42 games with the Lightning in 2025-26.
With Mikheyev and Viel, Lightning general manager makes two impactful additions to his team’s bottom six forwards.
On the heels of the Ilya Mikheyev signing, the Tampa Bay Lightning reportedly inked hard-nosed Jeffrey Viel to a five-year contract with a $2.5 AAV. Jeffrey Viel 5 x $2.5M Tampa Bay — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2026 In his first full season in the NHL the 29-year-old from Quebec landed 121 hits in 45 games between Boston and Anaheim. The Ducks picked up the physical forward in exchange for a fourth-round pick last January as they shored up their march to the p...
The Tampa Bay Lightning made their first move roughly an hour into free agency as they signed Ilya Mikheyev to a four-year contract with an Average Annual Value of $3.85 million according to the winger’s agent, Dan Milstein. Ilya Mikheyev signs a four-year NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. #GoBolts #WeAreGoldStar pic.twitter.com/ytn5UiQlk9 — Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) July 1, 2026 The 6’2″, 192 lb. forward scored 18 goals for the Chicago Blackhawks last season wh...
There could be real fireworks during the opening day of free agency, and the Toronto Maple Leafs remain prominently involved in discussions about potentially landing a superstar. Zach Werenski reportedly vetoed a trade to the Dallas Stars, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The reigning Norris Trophy winner is still considering accepting a potential move to the…