Tyler Johnson, who won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, announced his retirement from playing professional hockey on Monday.
One of the most prolific undrafted players of his generation, Johnson skated in 747 NHL games over parts of 13 seasons with the Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, and Boston Bruins during his career.
The 5’8″, 191-pound forward played a starring role for the Lightning during their run to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final before settling into more of a secondary position on the team’s two championship teams during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After 747 NHL games, two-time #StanleyCup champ Tyler Johnson has announced his retirement. 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/nTO83hIfeH
— NHL (@NHL) July 7, 2025
A star in his WHL days with his hometown Spokane Chiefs, Johnson joined the Lightning organization in 2011 and immediately established himself as one of their top AHL scorers. He won the Calder Cup with the Norfolk Admirals as a first-year pro in 2011-12.
Johnson made his NHL debut with the Lightning the following year and put up 50 points in the 2013-14 season before putting together the finest campaign of his pro career in 2014-15. As a member of the “Triplets” line with Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, Johnson recorded 29 goals and 72 points in 77 games during the regular season before adding 23 points in 26 playoff contests (tied with Patrick Kane for the league lead) as the Bolts made it within two wins of the Stanley Cup.
Although he never came close to matching his 2014-15 output again, Johnson remained a valuable secondary piece in the Lightning lineup for the remainder of the decade and skated in every single playoff game for the team during their successful playoff runs in 2020 and 2021, scoring eight goals and 14 points in 48 playoff games and ultimately lifting the Stanley Cup twice.
Johnson still had two years left at a $5 million AAV after winning the Cup again in 2021 and was earmarked as a possible cap casualty for the Lightning the following summer. That came to fruition shortly thereafter when the Bolts sent him to Chicago, where he collected 63 points in 123 games over two seasons. After that, Johnson signed with the Bruins in November 2024, but he played in just nine games before his contract was terminated by mutual agreement.
In his 747 career NHL games with Tampa Bay, Chicago, and Boston, Johnson collected 193 goals and 433 points. He added 32 goals and 65 points in 116 playoff contests, all with the Lightning.