On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lightning assigned three players to the Syracuse Crunch. Forwards Mitchell Chaffee and Waltteri Merelä along with defenseman Max Crozier. With the Lightning off until February 7th it makes sense that they sent the trio down to their AHL affiliate so that they can get some playing time as the Crunch have three games before the Lightning return to action.
It is interesting to note that Emil Lilleberg, who was also waivers exempt, was kept in Tampa. This is the second time the Lightning have had a break where they could re-assign the 22-year-old but chose not to. It could be a sign that he might be sticking around for the rest of the season, or that one of the injured defensemen might be out longer than originally thought.
Lilleberg has acclimated well to the NHL, which isn’t a surprise considering that despite being younger than the three players who went back to Syracuse, he does have history at a professional level having played in the SHL for two seasons. He also brings a physical aspect to his play that Crozier hasn’t shown yet.
The Lightning also moved Haydn Fleury off of LTIR, an indication that he will be ready to return to the line-up once the team returns to play. Mikhail Sergachev has also been back on the ice and is expected to return to action. Erik Cernak doesn’t currently have an expected return date, but has been at a few of the morning skates.
If Lilleberg does stay up with the Lightning when Fleury and Sergachev return it does create a bit of a logjam on the left side of the defense. If Cernak isn’t ready to come back right away, it is possible that Sergachev or Calvin de Haan flip to the right side. Coach Cooper could also elect to go with an 11/7 line-up, especially if Austin Watson and Tanner Jeannot need a few more weeks to heal.
There will have to be some salary cap massaging once Sergachev is ready to be activated, but if Jeannot or Watson are still out they could be transferred to LTIR until they are ready to return. If they are sold on Lilleberg, they could also try to slide Fleury through waivers or possibly trade him for a small return.
The situation is similar to Nick Perbix and Darren Raddysh forcing themselves on the roster and giving Julien BriseBois the flexibility to trade Cal Foote at the deadline. It could also take an item off of his summer shopping list as Lilleberg could be penciled in as the third-pairing defenseman for next season. It’s always fun when players are called up and play their way into a team’s long-term plan.
With the moves made by the Lightning, there were some trickle-down effects as the Crunch re-assigned forward Bennett MacArthur to the Allen Americans of the ECHL and released defenseman Cole Moberg from his PTO. MacArthur appeared in two games without a point while Moberg skated in 3 games without one.
Other Hockey News
Coming off knee surgery, Chaffee makes mark with Lightning [Lightning Insider]
Erik delves into the comeback story that is Chaffee over the last year.
Patrick Laine is taking a leave of absence [Blue Jackets Twitter]
The Columbus winger has struggled on the ice over the past few seasons. On Sunday he announced that he would be taking a break from hockey to focus on his mental health and will be entering the Player Assistance Program.
Ex-NHL player Alex Formenton has turned himself in to authorities [AP News]
Formenton, a former Ottawa Senator, became the first player from the 2018 Team Canada World Junior team to be officially identified as one of the five players from that team charged in regards to a sexual assault allegation. Formenton turned himself into authorities in London, Ontario but maintained his innocence through a statement made by his attorney.
Filip Chytil out for the remainder of the season [Blueshirt Banter]
The forward suffered a setback as he tried to comeback from an upper-body injury and will not return this season. The Rangers hope he is ready to return for next season.
Jacob Trouba received two-game suspension [Sportsnet]
The NHL wheel of justice landed on two games for Trouba, who popped Vegas Golden Knight Pavel Dorofeyev in the noggin with his elbow.
Every team’s top trade chip for the trade deadline [Bleacher Report]
Erik Cernak is an interesting choice. While we all love Drago and he can be effective when he’s in the line-up, it seems like the Lightning would be selling low on him based on his recent injuries. Not sure what kind of return they would be able to secure for him at this point.
Which player or pick each team is most likely to deal [The Athletic]
The Athletic lists a much more reasonable asset, the Bolts 2025 2nd Round pick. Is it enough to get anything major done? Probably not, especially if they need the other team to retain salary. It’s likely that they may have to throw in one of their better prospects such as Isaac Howard into a deal.
