Chaffee agreed to terms on a two-year, $1.6 million contract with Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Chaffee's deal is a one-way contract, which should increase his chances of playing in more than 30 NHL games this upcoming season. During the 2023-24 campaign, the 26-year-old winger notched four goals on 27 shots, three assists and 88 hits while averaging 11:07 of ice time. Even with his new deal in hand, Chaffee is unlikely to challenge for more than a bottom-six role next season.
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Lightning's Niko Huuhtanen: Signs entry-level deal
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Huuhtanen signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Lightning on Tuesday, per CapFriendly.
Huuhtanen posted 46 points over 52 regular-season games with Jukurit of Finland's Liiga in 2023-24. The entry-level deal begins in 2024-25, and he'll likely start that contract as a member of AHL Syracuse. Huuhtanen was a seventh-round pick in 2021.
Lightning's Jonas Johansson: Recovering from quad tear
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Johansson, who was previously listed as being out with a lower-body injury, sustained a quad tear March 30, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports Wednesday.
Johansson finished the campaign with a 12-7-5 record, 3.37 GAA and .890 save percentage across 26 regular-season appearances. He still has one season left on his two-year, $1.55 million contract, so the 28-year-old goaltender will likely remain on the Lightning roster in 2024-25 as the backup netminder behind Andrei Vasilevskiy.
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Lightning's Darren Raddysh: Ends season on injured list
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Raddysh was dealing with a hip pointer when the Bolts were eliminated from the postseason, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports Wednesday.
Raddysh was out of the lineup for Tampa Bay's final two contests due to his hip injury. Unless the 28-year-old Toronto native requires surgery, he should be ready to play when training camp opens in the fall. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so Raddysh may not be back with the Lightning in 2024-25.
Crozier was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on Tuesday.
Crozier played in three of the four playoff games for Tampa Bay against the Panthers, recording four shots on goal and five hits. The 24-year-old played in 13 regular-season games, logging two assists and 13 shots on goal. He will look to propel AHL Syracuse to a potential Calder Cup Championship.
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Lightning's Emil Lilleberg: Headed for minors
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Lilleberg was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on Tuesday.
Lilleberg will join up with the Crunch, who are tied 1-1 in a best-of-five series against AHL Rochester. At the NHL level this season, the 23-year-old blueliner played in 37 regular-season games in which he tallied five helpers, 105 hits and 31 shots, though he is still looking for his first NHL goal.
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Lightning's Matt Tomkins: Reassigned to minors
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Tomkins was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on Tuesday.
Tomkins appeared in six games with the Lightning this season, recording an .892 save percentage and a 3-2-1 record. The 29-year-old will look to lead AHL Syracuse to a potential Calder Cup Championship. He will likely be the backup for Tampa Bay heading into next season.
Hagel recorded an assist, four hits and a minus-2 rating in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 5.
Hagel posted three goals, two assists, eight shots on net and 13 hits over five playoff appearances. The winger solidified his status as a top-six winger for the Lightning in 2023-24, earning 26 goals, 75 points, 184 shots on net and 79 PIM over 82 regular-season appearances. He earned an eight-year contract extension last summer, which will begin in 2024-25, so Hagel should be a key piece for the Lightning's offense for years to come.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Adds assist in loss
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Kucherov posted an assist and two hits in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 5.
Kucherov stayed hot in the postseason with seven assists over five games, but he wasn't able to put a puck past Sergei Bobrovsky. The 30-year-old Kucherov had an excellent 2023-24 season despite the early playoff exit, earning 44 goals and 100 assists in 81 regular-season appearances. He should continue to be one of the top right wings in the NHL heading into 2024-25.
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Lightning's Victor Hedman: Scores lone goal in Game 5 loss
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Hedman scored a goal on six shots, added four hits and blocked three shots in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 5.
Hedman put the Lightning on the board in the second period, but they couldn't build any momentum. The 33-year-old did his part in the Lightning's first-round exit, racking up seven points, 15 shots on net, 13 hits, nine blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over five contests. Hedman will be in the last season of his eight-year contract extension in 2024-25, but he should at least begin the campaign in his usual role as the Lightning's top blueliner.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Stuck with loss in Game 5
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Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 37 shots in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 5. The last two goals were empty-netters.
Vasilevskiy couldn't hold back the relentless Panthers offense, taking his fourth loss in five playoff games. The 29-year-old gave up 16 goals on 156 shots, good for an .897 save percentage, during the postseason. Vasilevskiy remains entrenched as the Lightning's No. 1 goalie heading in 2024-25, though he'll be looking to rebound from the statistically worst season of his career -- he had a 30-20-2 record, a 2.90 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 52 regular-season outings in 2023-24.
Watson played in just 33 games this season, scoring two goals and adding two assists. He did put up 93 PIM and 85 hits, but mustered only 17 shots while averaging 7:16 of ice time per game. Watson didn't ink his one-year deal with the Bolts until October, and that doesn't bode well for 2024-25 given his performance. Over his career, he has played in 515 regular-season games and recorded 60 goals, 58 assists, 705 PIM and 1,209 hits.
