Harkins signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning on Friday.
Harkins had three goals, eight points, 28 PIM and 113 hits in 44 regular-season appearances with Anaheim in 2025-26. He also had five goals and 17 points in 11 regular-season outings with AHL San Diego last campign. The 29-year-old isn't guaranteed a bottom-six spot with the Lightning, but he should at least get an opportunity to earn that position during training camp.
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Lightning's Tomas Kralovic: Inks entry-level contract
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Kralovic signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Lightning on Friday.
Tampa Bay selected Kralovic with the No. 90 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. He had six goals, 31 points and 71 PIM in 52 regular-season appearances with Bratislava of the Slovakian league in 2025-26. The 20-year-old is likely to begin the 2026-27 campaign in the minors to further develop his game.
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Lightning's John Carlson: Gets two-year deal with Bolts
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Carlson signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Lightning on Wednesday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Even at age 36, Carlson will get a slight annual raise compared to his last deal, which carried an $8 million cap hit. The blueliner racked up 14 goals, 46 assists, 153 shots on net, 106 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over 71 regular-season outings between the Capitals and the Ducks last year. With the Lightning, Carlson will likely compete with Victor Hedman for top billing on the power play. Carlson is also still capable of handling a heavy role in the top four at even strength, so fantasy managers shouldn't hesitate to consider him in the middle-to-late portions of drafts.
Rodrigue signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning on Wednesday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Rodrigue made his NHL debut with Edmonton during the 2024-25 campaign, but he played exclusively for AHL Rockford last year. Across 10 regular-season appearances with the minor-league club, he went 4-3-1 with a 3.20 GAA and .891 save percentage. He'll likely spend the majority of his time in the minors once again this year.
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Lightning's Mads Sogaard: Agrees to terms with Tampa Bay
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Sogaard signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning on Wednesday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Sogaard has seen limited NHL playing time over the past five seasons, making only 31 appearances for Ottawa. Across 27 regular-season outings with AHL Belleville in 2025-26, he went 7-13-4 with a 3.69 GAA and .874 save percentage.
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Lightning's Michael Callahan: Signs with Tampa Bay
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Callahan signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning on Wednesday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Callahan made 22 regular-season appearances with the Bruins across the past two campaigns. Across 56 regular-season games with AHL Providence in 2025-26, he recorded two goals, 14 assists and 27 PIM. It wouldn't be surprising to see him continue to spend most of his time in the minors again.
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Lightning's Dennis Hildeby: Sent to Tampa Bay
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Hildeby, a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick were traded to the Lightning from the Maple Leafs in exchange for Nick Paul on Wednesday.
Hildeby made 20 regular-season appearances for the Maple Leafs last year, going 5-7-4 with a 2.85 GAA and .912 save percentage. He'll likely compete for the No. 2 role behind Andrei Vasilevskiy with the Lightning ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
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Lightning's Ilya Mikheyev: Agrees to terms with Tampa Bay
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Mikheyev signed a four-year, $15.4 million contract with the Lightning on Wednesday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Mikheyev spent the past two seasons in Chicago. He recorded 18 goals, 18 assists, 31 hits, 23 blocked shots and 18 PIM while averaging 17:26 of ice time across 77 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. After racking up a career-high 36 points last year, he should occupy a bottom-six role with Tampa Bay in 2026-27.
Viel signed a five-year, $12.5 million contract with the Lightning on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Viel made a career-high 45 regular-season NHL appearances between the Bruins and Ducks last year, logging three goals, seven assists, 121 hits, 79 PIM and 21 blocked shots while averaging 11:56 of ice time. The 29-year-old will now attempt to carve out a role with the Lightning on a multi-year agreement.
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Lightning's Tomas Kralovic: Slovak rearguard joins Lightning
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Kralovic was the 90th overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
The Lightning clearly loved something they saw in Kralovic, given the fact that he's already been through the draft process three times and will turn 21 years of age in late August. Kralovic has become one of the top rearguards in the Slovakian league in recent years, finishing the 2025-26 season with 31 points in 52 games. It's a pretty safe bet that Tampa Bay plans to try to get Kralovic over to North America sooner rather than later. His contract with his team in Bratislava runs through the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
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Lightning's Oleg Kulebyakin: Surprise pick in Round 2
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Kulebyakin was the 52nd overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Kulebyakin is an off-the-board pick, even for a Lightning team that is known to do such a thing. Ranked as the No. 87 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, Kulebyakin spent this past season with QMJHL Halifax, posting 29 goals and 73 points in 64 regular-season games. He has excellent hands and is versatile, with the ability to play both wings. Kulebyakin is looking at one more season in the CHL before moving on to the University of Massachusetts in the fall of 2027.
Lightning's Jack Pridham: Rights traded to Tampa Bay
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Pridham's rights were traded to the Lightning from the Blackhawks on Monday in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick.
Pridham was selected by Chicago in the third round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, but he's continued to play for OHL Kitchener in recent seasons. Across 65 regular-season appearances during the 2025-26 campaign, he recorded 46 goals, 44 assists, 54 PIM and a plus-38 rating. He's expected to play in the NCAA during the upcoming season.
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Lightning's Sam O'Reilly: Four points in Memorial Cup win
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O'Reilly scored a goal and added three assists in OHL Kitchener's 6-2 win over WHL Everett in the Memorial Cup championship game Sunday.
O'Reilly finished the tournament with three goals and five assists over four games. He's now a two-time Memorial Cup winner, having done so last year with OHL London. He will likely begin his professional career in 2026-27, so expect him to start the campaign with AHL Syracuse.
Lightning's Benjamin Rautiainen: Agrees to entry-level contract
Rotowire
Rautiainen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Lightning on Friday.
Rautiainen wasn't taken by Tampa Bay until the No. 108 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft. However, Rautiainen took a huge step forward with Tappara of Finland's Liiga in 2025-26, scoring 25 goals and 77 points in 59 regular-season outings. His 77 points were the best in the league and more than double his 33-point total with Tappara during the 2024-25 regular season. The 20-year-old should be in the mix for an Opening Night roster spot during Tampa Bay's training camp.
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