Raw Charge
The static cling that brings Tampa Bay Lightning fans together.
Total reads
1,698
This week
3
Rank
#129 of 417
Published
348 posts
Most read posts
Featured on Sportsblogs
Run this blog? Add the badge to your site to show readers you're featured — it links back to this page.
Latest Entries
Lightning Morning News: Flyers’ offer sheet will affect more than just the Ducks
One advantage to having a prospect tier ranked in the lower-third of the league is that your players rarely attract offer sheet attention. It also helped that the Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t have any restricted free agents on their depth chart after they opted to not tender a contract to Ethan Samson (who signed with Montreal), so they can sit back and watch the Leo Carlsson drama from a comfortable distance. At some point this week, Pat Verbeek will make his decision about Carlsson, a bud...
What do the Tampa Bay Lightning look like after free agency
For the most part, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois was true to his word when it came to how the 2026-27 team would look compared to the one that finished the 2025-26 season. It is, for the most part, pretty similar. Even with their big late-night signing of John Carlson, the basic layout of the roster is the same if you flip Carlson for Darren Raddysh, i.e. an offense-first defenseman on the right-side of the ice. Our way too early guess at how the roster will look: ...
Lightning sign John Carlson to two-year contract
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...
Lightning add three players on two-way contracts
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 ...
Nick Paul traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Nick Paul will always have a special place in Tampa Bay Lightning history: Nick Paul. Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Lightning Twitter feed ( @TBLightning ) Nope. Not that. Yup, that’s the one. A Game 7 goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs that propelled the Lightning into the second round of the 2022 playoffs. Now, he’ll be on the other side of the bench as the Tampa Bay Lighting traded the 31-year-old forward to the Maple Leafs for goaltender Dennis Hildeby, a 2027 f...
Lightning signing Jeffrey Viel to five-year contract
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...
Lightning sign winger Ilya Mikheyev to four-year contract
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...
2026 Raw Charge: NHL Free Agency Tracker
Good Morning everyone! It’s that wonderful time of the year where every hockey fan loves every move their general manager makes and laughs at how much every other GM overpays for their new players. It’s Free Agent Frenzy time! This year’s class isn’t the greatest, but there are several serviceable players still available. With just about every team in the league having room to sign at least one or two players, there are bound to be some eyebrow-raising deals signed this afternoon. Just re...
Time to talk about Zach
While the Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t been caught up in the frantic activity prior to the Free Agent Frenzy, they have found their name in the mouths of media personalities regarding some of the bigger names on the trade/free agent market. John Carlson and Dylan Larkin early in the process. Now it’s Zach Werenski. The reigning Norris Trophy winner appears to be headed out of Columbus prior to the end of his contract. More than one, but most notably, Pierre LeBrun , have tied the soon-to-be 29-...
Recapping the night before the NHL Free Agent Frenzy (2026 Edition)
Welcome to the 2026-27 NHL season. The new season officially starts today with one of the most fun days of the year – signing bonus day! That’s right, all of those players that are playing for $1 million salaries because their contracts are loaded with bonuses are going to cash nice fat checks today. Good for them. Oh, yeah, there is also a new crop of players that will be signing big money deals today. Good for them as well! Because your friendly neighborhood managing editor actually rem...
Lightning Morning News: Development camp under way
With the draft in the rearview mirror, things are focusing back on the ice for a few days. Five of the Lightning’s newest draft picks are attending with Stepan Shurygin the lone player not attending. A total of 27 players are skating in two different groups over the next couple of days with the always anticipated 3-on-3 tournament taking place at the end of the week. All of the on-ice sessions and the tournament are open to the public. FORWARDS (16) 65 ANDERBERG, Morgan 54 BURROWS, Hagen ...
Tampa Bay Lightning 2026 NHL Draft Profile: Max Vilen
Name: Max Vilen Drafted: Seventh Round, 218th overall Bio: 19-years-old, left shot, Hammarlov, Sweden, 6’3″, 209 lbs. Position: Defenseman 2025-26 Team: Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) With their final pick of the draft, the Lightning went back to the overage market and drafted the soon-to-be 20-year-old Max Vilen from Moncton. In his third trip through the draft process, the Swedish defender finally found a home with the Tampa Bay Lightning. A big guy with decent m...
Tampa Bay Lightning 2026 NHL Draft Profile: Stepan Shurygin
Name: Stepan Shurygin Drafted: Sixth Round, 186th overall Bio: 18-years-old, Samara, Russia, 6’3″, 207 lbs. Position: Goaltender 2025-26 Team: Saginaw Spirit After a solid season with MHK Molot Perm in the MHL where he posted a .904 SV% and 2.74 GAA in 44 games, Stepan Shurygin crossed over and manned the nets for the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL after being drafted in the second round of the CHL Import Draft. It was a busy season for Shurygin as he appeared in ...
Tampa Bay Lightning 2026 NHL Draft Profile: Cooper Soller
Name: Cooper Soller Drafted: Fifth Round, 154th overall Bio: 17-years-old, right shot, Los Angeles, CA, 5’10”, 172 lbs. Position: Forward 2025-26 Team: Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) Jon Cooper won the Clark Cup in the USHL. Cooper Soller won the Clark Cup. It’s a match made in draft heaven. Honestly, there is a much better than zero chance that Jon Cooper is no longer the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach if and when the Bolts’ second fifth-round pick of...
Tampa Bay Lightning 2026 NHL Draft Profile: Morgan Anderberg
Name: Morgan Anderberg Drafted: Fifth Round, 134th overall Bio: 18-years-old, right shot, Stockholm, Sweden, 5’11” lbs. Position: Center 2025-26 Team: Vaxjo Lakers HC, SHL Alright, now we’re back on track. With their fifth-round pick, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected a smaller center that is an absolute defensive menace. Anderberg earned the trust of his coaching staff as the season went on and was playing a third-line role on a good Vaxjo team. Not bad for an 18-...
Tampa Bay Lightning 2026 NHL Draft Profile: Tomas Kralovic
Name: Tomas Kralovic Drafted: Third Round, 90th overall Bio: 20-years-old, right shot, Bratislava, Slovakia, 6’3″, 203 lbs. Position: Defense 2025-26 Team: HC Slovan Bratislava, Slovakia Not every player takes a straight line to the NHL. Nor are they on the same timeline. Tomas Kralovic is not a 17- or 18-year-old kid going through the process for the first time. He’s been through a draft or two or three before. Finally, he gets to hear his name called by a NHL te...
Tampa Bay Lightning 2026 Draft Pick Profile: Oleg Kulebiakin
Name: Oleg Kulebiakin Drafted: Second Round, 52nd overall Bio: 18-years-old, St. Petersburg, Russia, left-shot, 5’10, 179 lbs. Position: Left Wing/Right Wing 2025-26 Team: Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL The Lightning traded up a handful of spots in the second round to draft a player that a lot of the prognosticators had going in the middle rounds. When they have their sights set on a player, they aren’t going to let him get away, be it at the trade deadline or at the d...
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2026 NHL Draft Tracker
[Evening update] Thank you to everyone who stopped by to comment. Big shoutout to scharms for posting some more information on the kids drafted today. We are back from work, showered, beer in hand and ready to start digging into the information on these kids. Should have some of them posted tonight, and then the rest tomorrow morning. [End Update] After a first round that went pretty close to the way the prospect analysts thought it would go, Day Two of the NHL draft gets underway th...
Raw Charge’s Live Draft Thread: Round One
C’mon on down and join us for tonight’s NHL festivities. There will be “A list” celebrities. There will be lives changed. There may even be a trade or two. There won’t be any Tampa Bay Lightning picks (probably). As long as our laptop battery holds up, we’ll cover each and every pick of the first round. No, we don’t have anything better to do on a Friday night. 7:00 – We’re live! The Lightning dropped a quick social media post while it sounds like Boston and Utah are working on a J.J. Pet...
A quick look at the 2026 NHL Draft
The first round of the NHL Draft gets underway tonight at 7:00 PM EST. For some fans, it will be a chance to dream of better days ahead. For other fans, it’s just another Friday night in June. As of the time of publication, the Tampa Bay Lightning do not have a selection in the first round, having traded the 25th overall pick to Seattle at the 2025 NHL deadline as part of a larger deal for Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde. Seattle has since moved that pick to Florida for Mackie Samoskovich....
Latest NHL sign-and-trade takes potential Lightning free agent target off market
Well, at least we won’t have to write any more Alex Tuch profiles in the near future. After speculating that the big winger could be a trade deadline acquisition in 2025, and a possible free agent signing this summer, things went in a different direction as the Buffalo Sabres signed the 30-year-old to an 8-year, $84 million contract before trading him to the Washington Capitals for a third-round pick and David Kampf. With that move, the top forward was erased from the top of free agent bo...
2026 NHL Draft: Three potential forwards for the Tampa Bay Lightning
We’ve tackled the defense already. Now it’s time to look for offense. In the seven drafts where Julien BriseBois has been the final voice, the Tampa Bay Lightning have picked a forward with their top selection. The two times he went with defense was Jan Golicic in the fourth round of the 2024 draft and Roman Schmidt in the third round of the 2021 draft. So, when he’s had a pick in the top two rounds, he’s gone on the offensive. Will history repeat itself this year? In all likelihood, yes....
Lightning Morning News: Tuesday was Trade Day in the NHL
As the clock ticks down to the draft and free agency, teams are starting to make some moves. The dust had barely settled on the Brady-Tkachuk-to-Florida deal when the league office was inundated with several trade calls. You are going to need a scoresheet to keep track of who is drafting when on Friday. Speaking of the draft, we pondered a few possibilities for the Tampa Bay Lightning when it’s finally their time to draft. [ Raw Charge ] While we were working on that, the rest of the...
2026 NHL Draft: Three potential defensive picks for the Tampa Bay Lightning
It’s the end of June and that means one thing, and one thing only. The busiest two-week stretch of the NHL season is here. First up is the draft. Then it’s the deadline for qualifying offers to restricted free agents. And finally, Hockey Christmas in July – Free Agency! We plan to cover it all starting with the draft. Thanks to last week’s trade , the Tampa Bay Lightning now hold seven picks in the 2026 NHL Draft. They are as follows: Round 2 – 58th overall Round 3 – 90th overal...
Lightning Morning News: Patrice Bergeron headlines 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
The phone calls have been made and the 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame class has been announced. Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Keith Tkachuk, and Cindy Curley were inducted as players while Brian Burke was honored in the Builder Category. The Induction Ceremony is set for November 9. It’s always a fun weekend in Toronto with the honored members descending upon the city for various activities. With the announcement of this year’s class, we can also talk about the snubs. So far, Patr...
Displaying items 1-25 of 348 in total