Sabourin is an undrafted 33-year-old forward with eight points (2G / 6A) in 47 career NHL games. He spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, where he scored 25 points (10G / 15A) in 68 games with the San Jose Barracuda.
Tampa Bay is off to a disappointing 1-2-1 start to the 2025-26 season and will turn to Vasilevskiy on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings as he searches for his first win this season. The 31-year-old Vasilevskiy has an ugly 4.08 GAA and .870 SV% in three games (0-2-1), but he played well in his most recent outing, saving 25 of 28 shots (.893 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals. Tampa Bay enters Friday's contest as -151 road favorites against a Red Wings team outscoring their opposition 13-6 during a three-game winning streak.
Santini has had short stints in the NHL in nine of the last 10 seasons, but he has never been able to establish himself as a permanent fixture, limited to only 124 career games. The 30-year-old defenseman spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, where he scored 17 points (6G / 11A).
Crozier exited Tuesday's game against the Washington Capitals due to an undisclosed injury and will be sidelined week-to-week, beginning with Friday's contest against the Minnesota Wild. The 25-year-old Crozier was off to a hot start in 2025-26, scoring three points (0G / 3A) in four games.
With J.J. Moser expect to draw into Tampa Bay's lineup for his season debut on Monday against the Boston Bruins, Raddysh will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 29-year-old Raddysh has had an impressive offensive start to the 2025-26 season, scoring three points (1G / 2A) in two games.
Moser was issued a two-game suspension for boarding Florida's Jesper Boqvist in the final game of the preseason, and will make his season debut on Monday against the Boston Bruins. The 25-year-old Moser scored 14 points (2G / 12A) in 54 games last season.
On the tail end of a back-to-back, after rolling with Jonas Johansson between the pipes in a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay will turn to Vasilevskiy on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals. Tampa Bay is off to a 1-2-0 start to the 2025-26 season and will look for Vasilevskiy to record his first victory. The 30-year-old Russian netminder has an ugly 4.67 GAA and .855 SV% through two games this season (0-2-0). He was excellent against Washington last season, posting a 2.02 GAA, .929 SV%, and one shutout in three contests (2-1-0). Tampa Bay enters the contest as slight -101 road underdogs.
Tampa Bay remains in search of its first win of the 2025-26 campaign, outscored 10-7 through two contests (0-2-0), and will turn to Johansson between the pipes for his first start of the season. The 30-year-old Johansson saw limited action in the 2024-25 season as Tampa Bay's backup, posting a 3.13 GAA and .895 SV% in 19 appearances (9-6-3). The Lightning enter Monday's contest as -157 road favorites against a surprising Boston Bruins team that is 3-0-0 to start the season.
To no surprise, Tampa Bay will turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes in Thursday's season opener against the Ottawa Senators. After the worst season of his career in 2023-24, Vasilevskiy returned to his elite ways in 2024-25, finishing as the runner-up for the Vezina trophy after posting a dazzling 2.18 GAA, .921 SV%, and six shutouts in 63 games (38-20-5). Tampa Bay enters Thursday's contest as -172 home favorites against an Ottawa team that snuck into the playoffs last season while being mid-pack offensively (2.96 GF/ GP).
Girgensons suffered an undisclosed injury in Saturday's preseason game against the Florida Panthers. Tampa Bay's season opener is on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators, and it's unclear if Girgensons will be ready to suit up. The 31-year-old Girgensons played all 82 games in his first season with Tampa Bay in 2024-25, tallying six points (2G / 4A).
After a breakout 2024-25 season, scoring a career-high 90 points (35G / 55A) in 82 games, Tampa Bay is eagerly awaiting an update on Hagel's status, hoping he can replicate his totals from a year ago. The 27-year-old Hagel has spent most of the preseason playing alongside Anthony Cirelli.
James was drafted by Chicago in the 6th round of the 2022 NHL Draft (173rd overall) but was unable to agree to an entry-level contract and has instead signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old spent the last four seasons playing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and is expected to join Syracuse (AHL) to start 2025-26. He had 14 goals and 30 points in 35 games in his senior season of college last year.
Paul is expected to miss the start of the season after successfully undergoing surgery on Friday on an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old will have to wait to start his 11th NHL campaign as he is expected to return in November at the earliest. Tampa will miss his presence early only after he had 22 goals, 41 points and 141 SOG in 76 games played last season.
Czata was selected in the second round (No.56 overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old centre spent the 2024-25 season with the Niagara IceDogs, where he was fourth on the team with 55 points (21G / 34A) in 68 games. He's expected to return to the OHL for the start of the 2025-26 season.
Sabourin is a 32-year-old veteran who has spent most of his career in the AHL. Most recently, he was with the Sharks for the last two seasons, where he had just four NHL appearances. He had 10 goals and 15 assists (25 points) to go along with 111 PIMS in 68 AHL games in 2024-25.
