en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Tampa Bay Lightning News https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/news Tampa Bay Lightning face burning questions after Brayden Point’s underwhelming season—can the dynamic center recapture his elite form? Greg Stephen breaks do... Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:49:35 GMT Locked On Lightning https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56824348 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56824348 false false Darren Raddysh wasn’t just one of the best defenders on the Tampa Bay Lightning, he ended up, at least in the eyes of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, as one of the best defensemen in the NHL. On Tuesday, the league announced that Zach Werenski won the award, his first, and released the final vote tallies. Raddysh finished with 14 total votes broken down by 0 first-place votes, 0 second-place votes, 1 third-place vote, 2 fourth-place votes, and 3 fifth-place votes. That tied him with rookie Matthew Schaefer. The Lightning’s leader in points from the blueline finished the season with a career-high 70 points (22 goals, 48 assists) in 73 games. His 22 goals set a franchise record and was the third highest total in the league behind Jakob Chychrun (who received 0 vote despite a 60-point season) and Schaefer. Raddysh was the league’s top goal-scorer from the blueline with 10 power play goals. After a couple of seasons with the Lightning where he shuffled up and down the line-up, the 30-year-old Raddysh found a home on the top pairing with J.J. Moser, and on the top power play unit as Victor Hedman was in-and-out of the line-up due to injuries. His bomb of a shot from the point proved a useful weapon for the Lightning (no one in the league was in the neighborhood of his 96 shots that measured between 90 and 100 MPH) especially with Nikita Kucherov feeding him one-timers from the top of the right circle. Given the chance to play top minutes, Raddysh took full advantage of his opportunity and earned his keep. Ensconced on the right-side of the ice he posted a career-high 23:26 of ice time and unleashed 212 shots, which is roughly equal to the total he had in the two previous seasons combined. More importantly, he was able to put his shot on net more often. In his previous two seasons only 39% of the shot attempts he took made it on net. In 2025-26 that percentage increased to 46%, and of the 212 he put on net, 10.4% found the back of the net. That is definitely one way to quadruple your yearly goal totals. While Raddysh is never going to be confused with Ryan McDonah in terms of being a shutdown defensemen, his actual defending was perfectly okay this year. In fact, due to the Lightning’s constant addiction to give up odd-skater rushes on the power play, Raddysh became one of the best blueliners at shutting down short-handed two-on-one rushes. He has an excellent sense of timing when it comes to dropping down on the ice to block passing lanes. The chemistry he had with J.J. Moser was solid as well. The pairing held teams to a 2.33 xGA while they were on the ice, which was in the same range as McDonagh and Erik Cernak’s 2.24 xGA number at 5v5. (who had Cernak and Charle-Edouard D’Astous being the team leaders at 1.74 xGA?). Moser’s ability to be slightly better than good at just about everything on the ice helped make up for some of Raddysh’s lack of footspeed in his own zone, but on the same token, Raddysh’s offensive abilities drew a lot of attention from his partner in the opponent’s zone and allowed the Swiss national to have one of his better seasons. [Editor’s rant] Look, we know this is an award that rewards offense more than defense even though it’s nominally a “defensive” award, but the fact that Moser didn’t even get a token fifth-place vote is absurd. The guy was the definition of a solid all-round defenseman this year. They really need to add another award for shutdown defensemen. [End rant] As anyone who has come within a whisper of a conversation about the Tampa Bay Lightning’s offseason knows, what to do with Darren Raddysh is the number one point of discussion for the next 29 days. This career season came at an excellent time for his financial advisor as Raddysh’s current contract, one of the best values in the league with a cap hit of $975,000, expires on June 30th. He’s not only going to be an unrestricted free agent, but probably a top-three UFA overall in the NHL this summer. Evolving Hockey has him pegged at a 7-year, $8.07 AAV projection this summer if he hits the open market. That is…well, that is nice work if you can get it. Oddly enough, their algorithms spit out a 3-year, $6.9 million contract if the parameters are changed to having him signing with the Lightning. That would be a much more manageable deal for the Lightning, who might have a bit of cap room to play with this year, but also have an extension for Nikita Kucherov looming in a year’s time. If he ends up with another organization (which the Raw Charge computer puts at a 62.4% chance of happening) that leaves a pretty big hole at the top of the defensive unit. They have someone who shoots the puck almost as hard in Victor Hedman, but he is a left-handed shot, which doesn’t play as well with Kucherov’s passing skills. Also, it’s kind of nice if you have the option of throwing two players on the ice that can crank up heaters from the blueline. No matter what happens in a couple of weeks, Darren Raddysh had a memorable... Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:42:38 GMT Justin G. https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56824249 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56824249 false false QMJHL Draft Lead Hadi Kalakeche was on site alongside Head Goalie Scout Jacob Titus and New England Regional Scout Robert Chalmers for the four-day showcase in Pierrefonds, Québec. Here are their standouts. Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:56:57 GMT Hadi Kalakeche, Jacob Titus https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56822957 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56822957 false false The Garage Sale will be open to the public on Thursday, June 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:58:17 GMT Syracuse Crunch https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56819407 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56819407 false false The Tampa Bay Lightning are doing everything they can to add more talent to a prospect pipeline that has been depleted by a seemingly endless string of traded f Tue, 02 Jun 2026 03:00:07 GMT Franklin Steele https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56816491 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56816491 false false With the offseason in full swing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, we here at Bolts by the Bay have been looking for creative ways for the team to get better. We exa Tue, 02 Jun 2026 02:01:05 GMT Franklin Steele https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56816129 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56816129 false false The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired the rights to forward Jack Pridham from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick. Tue, 02 Jun 2026 03:54:16 GMT TSN.ca Staff https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56816853 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56816853 false false Stop us if you’ve heard this before. The Chicago Blackhawks are up against a deadline to sign one of their prospects and somehow that prospect ends up with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last year it was Dominic James, and this year it is Jack Pridham. Chicago’s third-round selection (92 overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft was set to have his contract rights expire if he didn’t sign his entry-level contract or commit to a college program by 5:00 PM EST on June 1. Had he done neither, the 20-year-old would have been able to re-enter the NHL draft. Instead, the Tampa Bay Lightning traded a 2027 third-round pick to Chicago for his rights and announced that Pridham had chosen a collegiate program that would be announced in the future. It appears that the right-shot winger will be joining Hagen Burrows at the , one of the true college powerhouse programs led by former Lightning draft pick David Carle. It’s been a back-and-forth journey for Pridham as his original path had him spending a few seasons in a lower-tier Canadian junior hockey league (the BCHL) before heading to Boston University. When the NCAA changed their eligibility rules to allow CHL players into college, Pridham decided to give the OHL a shot and joined the Kitchener Rangers, who had drafted him in the ninth round of the OHL draft. It turned out to be a pretty good decision as he put up 54 points in 48 games during the 2024-25 season. Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham is absolutely tearing it up at the Memorial Cup! 🐻🔥 He netted TWO massive goals last night to lead Kitchener past Everett and keep them a perfect 2-0 in the tournament. This kid has some potential👀 — Just Another Year Chicago: Blackhawks (@JAYChi_Hawks) He de-committed from BU and stayed with Kitchener this past season. As a 20-year-old he put up 90 points (46 goals, 44 assists) in 65 regular season games before adding another 17 points (2 goals, 15 assists) in the playoffs. Riding with Sam O’Reilly, Pridham added an OHL title as well as a Memorial Cup Championship to his resume. Now, expectations should be tempered a bit considering last season was his 20-year-old season in the OHL. Still, he’s put up points in every league he’s played in, and he did have 27 goals in 48 games as a 19-year-old the prior season. It will be interesting to see how he does as a 21-year-old in college next season. With a stacked roster of prospects in Chicago, it seemed Pridham was looking for another opportunity, and he got it when the Lightning traded for him. How deep are things in The Windy City? Pridham didn’t make Second City Hockey’s Top 25 Under 25 last summer. He did crack their in the 22nd spot, but that would still be a lot of players to leapfrog in order to earn consistent playing time. He goes from a in the ‘Hawks organization to a probably top-10 in the Lightning. How long will it be before Pridham joins O’Reilly in the professional leagues? That’s hard to say. He’ll be 21 at the start of the season, so it’s unlikely he’ll spend all four seasons with the Pioneers, but even if it’s just a year or two, he should benefit from Carle’s tutelage. What type of player did the Lightning just add to their organization? Checking the scouting reports from his draft year and in subsequent prospect updates, Jack Pridham is not just a solid skater, but might be one of the best ones in Tampa Bay’s prospect pool. Not only that, but at 6’2″ and 185 lbs. he also has decent size. His shot plays well at the OHL level (as evident by his 46 goals) and he can score from range. Pridham has all of the tools to succeed, but he does need to work on his decision making skills a bit. It seems to be the case that less may be more with the Ontario native. In the past, he has shown a tendency to try for the more complicated, highlight-reel play as opposed to keeping things simple. That will be harder for him to do as the quality of competition increases. He works hard on the ice, has the speed to beat defenders wide or down the middle of the ice, and the skill to finish off the play. Those ingredients make for a promising prospect, and acquiring a player with his potential for a future draft pick is a pretty good use of assets by Julien BriseBois. It might be a season or two before it pays off at the professional level, but Pridham will be a fun prospect to watch over the next few seasons. Mon, 01 Jun 2026 23:39:32 GMT Justin G. https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56815121 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56815121 false false Hey all and it's a Monday news video.Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_AFyA9FqrZ57bb9QRH77wg/joinJoin us on our dis... Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:47:00 GMT The Hockey Guy https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56812484 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56812484 false false Deadspin | Blackhawks trade F Jack Pridham to Lightning Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:39:23 GMT Field Level Media https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56812402 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56812402 false false ► Sign up for PrizePicks with code: HMA and get $50 in lineups instantly when you play your first $5+ lineup! https://link.prizepicks.com/LME0/HMA► Hello guy... Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:32:28 GMT Graviteh https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56812302 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56812302 false false Pridham notched a goal and two assists in Kitchener's Memorial Cup Championship victory. Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:45:32 GMT Syracuse Crunch https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56810868 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56810868 false false Give the gift of Crunch Hockey! Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:45:30 GMT https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56810866 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56810866 false false Earlier today, the Chicago Blackhawks traded the signing rights of Jack Pridham to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2027. Pridham, who is 20… Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:30:07 GMT Jesse Courville-Lynch https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56810644 https://sportspyder.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/articles/56810644 false false