Prior to their optional morning skate on Tuesday the Tampa Bay Lightning recalled defenseman Steven Santini from the Syracuse Crunch. With Erik Cernak out “for sure” according to head coach Jon Cooper, the Lightning were down to just six healthy defensemen. The 29-year-old defender was signed as a free agent this summer and has appeared in 14 games for the Crunch so far this season. So far he has 2 goals and 3 assists on the season.
Santini does have NHL experience with 123 games spread out over eight seasons, mostly with the New Jersey Devils. Drafted in the second round of the 2013 draft by the Devils, Santini made his debut in the 2015-16 season following three seasons at Boston College. The 2018-19 season was his high-water mark in terms of games played as he appeared in 39 games and recorded 1 goal, 3 assists. Despite the increased playing time, things didn’t go well. His tenure with the Devils came to an end the next summer as he was part of the deal that sent P.K. Subban to the Devils from Nashville.
He played two games for the Predators the following season and was then signed by St. Louis. His last appearance in the NHL came with the Blues as he suited up for four games (with one assist). In his 123 games he has a total of 23 points (5 goals, 18 assists). In 317 AHL games he has 75 points (17 goals, 58 assists).
While he wouldn’t generate a ton of offense, he would give the Lightning a physical presence.
| Season | GP | TOI | G | A1 | A2 | Shots | iXG | Blocked Shots | Hits |
| 2015-16 | 1 | 14:58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.04 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 38 | 611:17 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 46 | 1.87 | 35 | 83 |
| 2017-18 | 36 | 729:87 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 56 | 1.4 | 73 | 113 |
| 2018-19 | 39 | 649:60 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 1.48 | 43 | 80 |
| 2019-20 | 2 | 19:10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.01 | 0 | 3 |
| 2020-21 | 3 | 42:02 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0.23 | 2 | 12 |
| 2022-23 | 4 | 50:03 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.09 | 10 | 6 |
As for Cernak, his injury is still undetermined at this point, but the fact that the Lightning recalled a player, especially one of the Crunch’s more experienced defenders, indicates that he might be out for at least a couple of games. In his post-practice meeting with the press, Coop did say that Perbix would be in for Cernak, so despite Anthony Cirelli’s “doubtful” status, the Bolts could still go with a 12/6 line-up with Cameron Atkinson returning after a game in the press box.
