The Tampa Bay Lightning’s affiliates added to their rosters earlier this week as both the Syracuse Crunch and Orlando Solar Bears announced contract signings. The Crunch signed Jujhar Khaira and Ara Nazarian to AHL contracts while also announcing Joel Teasdale has been invited to camp on a player try-out contract. Meanwhile, Orlando signed Kohei Sato to an ECHL deal.
At this point, these signings do not affect the Lightning’s salary cap situation. If the Lightning do like what they see from any of these players, they would have to sign a NHL contract. That also means any other NHL team is free to do likewise. Signings like these, at this point of the off-season, are for organizational depth, and there is no guarantee that Khaira and Nazarian are going to make the Crunch.
What they add to the Crunch is competition. Looking at their roster based on current contracts and likely outcomes from training camp, the rosters are close to being set, especially with the influx of rookies like Dylan Duke, Niko Huuhtanen, and Gabriel Szturc. Early in an AHL season, teams like to have the option to work different players in to see how they do in game situations.
With call-ups, injuries, and trades, rosters are always in flux, having experienced players in the system always helps. The Crunch used 39 skaters (and 5 goaltenders) last season. The move players they have familiar with their style of play, the better.
Nazarian is a 28-year-old forward that spent last season with the Belfast Giants of the EIHL. He put up 33 points in 48 games with 18 goals. Prior to that he had spent the bulk of his career in the ECHL with the Adirondack Thunder and Jacksonville Icemen. In 2021-22, he did spend 14 games with the Rochester Americans and put two pucks in the net. Despite a perceived lack of size (5’9″, 185 lbs.) he has had some success, putting up 164 points (71 goals, 93 assists) in 235 games.
Khaira brings size and experience to the organization. The 30-year-old was drafted in the third round by the Edmonton Oilers back in 2012 and has played in 337 NHL games with the Oilers, Blackhawks, and Wild. His 80 goals over that span is respectable, but the 6’4″ forward brings a physical game with 229 penalty minutes and hasn’t averaged below 8.76 hits per 60 minutes in his career.
At 25, Teasdale is the youngest of the additions, but Crunch fans might be familiar with him as he’s spent four of the last five seasons with the Laval Rocket. He did have a two game stint with the Canadiens in 2022-23. Last season he put up 13 points (7 goals, 6 assists) in 65 games with the Iowa Wild.
He did crack the Canadiens Top 25 Under 25 in 2021 according to Habs Eyes on the Prize. Ranking him 19th, our friends pointed out that Teasdale played for then Laval coach Joel Bouchard in the QMJHL. He is a hard-checking, high-energy player that can kill penalties and clog up the neutral zone.
Knee injuries slowed his development a bit, and cost him the entire 2019-20 season. The Crunch have had some success signing players from the Iowa Wild who have had knee surgery (cough, Mitchell Chaffee, cough). Teasdale doesn’t have the scoring prowess that Chaffee had, but could give the Crunch some secondary scoring if he makes the team along with his defensive skills.
Sato was actually a teammate of Nazarian back at the University of New Hampshire in 2018-19. The 27-year-old Japanese player has literally traveled the globe playing hockey. He’s played college hockey, Tier 3 hockey in North America, internationally with Team Japan, professional hockey in Belfast (again with Nazarian), and in Finland.
