

Douglas was a fourth-round pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft but he has yet to make his NHL debut. The 25-year-old forward has spent the previous several seasons in the AHL, including scoring 23 points (10G / 13A) in 63 games with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2024-25.

Girgensons suffered an undisclosed injury in Saturday's preseason game against the Florida Panthers. Tampa Bay's season opener is on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators, and it's unclear if Girgensons will be ready to suit up. The 31-year-old Girgensons played all 82 games in his first season with Tampa Bay in 2024-25, tallying six points (2G / 4A).

After a breakout 2024-25 season, scoring a career-high 90 points (35G / 55A) in 82 games, Tampa Bay is eagerly awaiting an update on Hagel's status, hoping he can replicate his totals from a year ago. The 27-year-old Hagel has spent most of the preseason playing alongside Anthony Cirelli.

Copley is no stranger to the NHL, with 77 games of experience, and could work himself into a backup role for Tampa Bay behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. The 33-year-old Copley spent the majority of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, tallying a 2.49 GAA and .904 SV% in 42 games with the Ontario Reign (24-17-1).

James was drafted by Chicago in the 6th round of the 2022 NHL Draft (173rd overall) but was unable to agree to an entry-level contract and has instead signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old spent the last four seasons playing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and is expected to join Syracuse (AHL) to start 2025-26. He had 14 goals and 30 points in 35 games in his senior season of college last year.

Paul is expected to miss the start of the season after successfully undergoing surgery on Friday on an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old will have to wait to start his 11th NHL campaign as he is expected to return in November at the earliest. Tampa will miss his presence early only after he had 22 goals, 41 points and 141 SOG in 76 games played last season.

Czata was selected in the second round (No.56 overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old centre spent the 2024-25 season with the Niagara IceDogs, where he was fourth on the team with 55 points (21G / 34A) in 68 games. He's expected to return to the OHL for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Sabourin is a 32-year-old veteran who has spent most of his career in the AHL. Most recently, he was with the Sharks for the last two seasons, where he had just four NHL appearances. He had 10 goals and 15 assists (25 points) to go along with 111 PIMS in 68 AHL games in 2024-25.

With Tampa Bay expected not to sign Isaac Howard, they have traded his rights to Edmonton for Sam O'Reilly on Tuesday night. O'Reilly is a 19-year-old center who was drafted by Edmonton at the end of the 1st round (32nd overall) in the 2024 Draft. He put up 28 goals and 71 points in 62 games with London in his third OHL season and is expected to return for the Knights for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

After splitting last season between Calgary and Philadelphia, Jakob Pelletier will join his third organization in two years after signing a three-year, $2.525 million contract ($841,600 AAV) with Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The 24-year-old was Calgary's 2019 1st-round pick (26th overall) and has amassed 11 goals and 29 points in 86 games across three seasons. He will likely play a bottom-six role in Tampa Bay in the upcoming season.

Katchouk has 36 points (15G / 21A) in 176 career NHL games but spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL. The 27-year-old forward scored 49 points (21G / 28A) in 67 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) last season.

Lundmark was the 51st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft but has yet to play an NHL game. He has spent the previous four seasons in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, including scoring 14 points (4G / 10A) in 66 games last season.

Holmberg was a sixth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The 26-year-old had spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs organization, including scoring 49 points (19G / 30A) in 159 career games. He joins the Tampa Bay Lightning on a two-year deal worth $1.55 million AAV and will add some depth to their bottom-six forward group.

After three successful seasons with the Toronto Marlies (AHL), Nick Abruzzese has signed a one-year, two-way contract in Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old left-winger has appeared in 11 games (3 Pts) with the Maple Leafs since 2022-23 but spent the majority of his professional career in the AHL where he averaged nearly 50 Pts a season across three years.

Fanti is an undrafted goalie who has split time between the AHL and ECHL over his five-year professional career. The 25-year-old posted an impressive 1.45 GAA and .946 SV% in seven appearances with the Syracuse Crunch last season (3-1-0).

Allard is an undrafted 23-year-old forward who has spent the previous three seasons with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and will remain in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization after signing a two-year, entry-level contract. He scored 16 points (7G / 9A) in 45 games last season with Syracuse.

Fresh off a successful eight-goal, 20-point rookie campaign, Tampa Bay has signed Gage Goncalves to a two-year, $2.4 million contract extension ($1,200,000 AAV). The 24-year-old forward was Tampa Bay's 2020 2nd Round Pick (62nd overall) and is expected to take a bottom-six role to start the 2025-26 season.

Copley only appeared in one game for Los Angeles in 2024-25 but will provide some goaltending depth yet again after signing a one-year, $775,000 contract extension on Monday with the Kings. The 33-year-old Alaskan netminder appeared in 42 games with Ontario (AHL) in 2024-25, posting a 24-17-1 record with a .904 SV%.

Finley made his NHL debut during the 2024-25 season but spent most of the season in Syracuse (AHL), where he had 28 points (14G / 14A) in 40 games. The 22-year-old forward will likely begin the 2025-26 season in the AHL.
