tbl-Sam O’reilly Among Final Lightning Roster Cuts

Summary

The Kid Line will have to wait a little while longer before taking the NHL by storm. On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lightning all but finalized their 2026-27 roster as they made eleven moves in order to trim the head count to 26 players. While they don’t take to the ice until Thursday, their final 23-player roster has to be finalized by 5:00 PM on Monday. Most of the moves that the Lightning made were expected. Matteo Pietroniro and Jarred Tinordi were released from their try-out deals and will report to Syracuse. Nicholas Abruzzese, Michael Callahan, Max Groshev, Mads Sogaard, and Jakob Pelletier were all placed on waivers with the purpose of reassigning them to Syracuse. Will they all clear? Our best guess is – probably. Pelletier is an interesting case. He was the player of the year in the AHL last season, and a team looking for a depth player may take a chance on the 25-year-old, even if he has two years left on his current deal. The final four moves involved players that were exempt from waivers as Dylan Duke, Lucas Mercuri, Noah Steen, and Sam O’Reilly were assigned to Syracuse. In the overall sense, the moves aren’t surprising, but O’Reilly really gave the Lightning a lot to think about in training camp over the last couple of weeks. The 20-year-old played in all four games and racked up 66:40 of ice time, second only to Conor Geekie’s 67:43. O’Reilly had two assists in his four outings (both primary helpers) and generated a 0.42 ixG with 4 scoring chances and 5 shots on net. He also won 27 of 47 face-offs (57.45%). O’Reilly was a big part of the penalty kill unit during the preseason, with a team-leading 7:45 of ice time and a 57.14% face-off percentage. It was as close to a perfect preseason as the center could hope for, yet it wasn’t quite enough for him to make the initial roster. Why? Well, the fact that he hasn’t played a shift in professional hockey might be part of it. As a general philosophy, the Lightning don’t like to rush their prospects, and after Geekie’s up-and-down performance as a 20-year-old in 2024-25, they may be a little extra cautious with his development. There is also the fact that a couple of other players also had strong camps, including Conor Geekie. The 22-year-old, who also played in all four games finished with two goals and an assist while leading all Lightning players in shots (9), shot attempts (15), and scoring chances (7). For now, Geekie remains on the roster. Another player that had a strong camp was Jansen Harkins. The 29-year-old carries a little more NHL experience with him as he has 305 career games split amongst Winnipeg, Pittsburgh, and Anaheim. He also had a pair of goals in the pre-season while sporting 63.64% face-off percentage. A speedy center that can kill penalties, he could be well suited for a fourth-line center role while Yanni Gourde and Dominic James recover from their injuries. It is somewhat intriguing that Benjamin Rautiainen is still in Tampa. The exciting young player had a goal and an assist in his four games, playing mostly with Geekie and O’Reilly. The Kid Line showed well as they were on the ice for a 2-1 goal advantage while generating a 64.02% edge in expected goals. O’Reilly and Geekie drove a lot of that play, but Rautiainen showed flashes of his elevated skill throughout his time in camp and during the prospect showcase. How about a little sizzle in the shootout? RAUTIAINEN: – Ties the game in the 3rd ✅ – Wins it in a shootout ✅ 🎧: https://t.co/QqQrjTGdhY 📻: @1025TheBone pic.twitter.com/Vd7REsCQgA — Lightning Audio Network (@BoltsRadio) September 27, 2026 There is a good chance that he might break camp with the Bolts and get a little taste of the NHL while James works his way back into game action. Perhaps the Lightning let him play a few games before loaning him back to Tappara to finish out his contract there. Defensively, the Lightning are carrying eight defenders. They could head into the season with all eight, especially considering three of their big-minute blueliners are 35 or older. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Coach Jon Cooper basically rotate two or three players through the third pairing. He did it early in the season last year even before injuries tore apart the defense. The Bolts have 26 players in camp right now, but it is all but certain that Yanni Gourde and Dominic James will start on Injured Reserve. That reduces their number to 24. Charle-Edouard D’Astous left Saturday’s game early and didn’t return. Any type of serious malady could land him on IR and bring the Lightning to the magic 23 number. If D’Astous is healthy enough to go, the Lightning could have some fun. They could assign Geekie to Syracuse (he is waivers exempt) on Monday, and then try to sneak someone through later in the week when most of the teams have their rosters set, and then recall Geekie in time for the game. It is also possible that they make a waivers claim and do some more juggling. What they send to the league on Monday, might not be the same by the time they take the ice on Thursday in New York. Our best guess at the roster as of Sunday evening: First Line Ilya Mikheyev Brayden Point Nikita Kucherov Second Line Brandon Hagel Anthony Cirelli Jake Guentzel Third Line Conor Geekie Zemgus Girgensons Pontus Holmberg Fourth Line Gage Goncalves Jansen Harkins Jeff Veal First Pair J.J. Moser John Carlson Second Pair Ryan McDonagh Erik Cernak Third Pair Victor Hedman Max Crozier Goaltending Andrei Vasilevskiy Dennis Hildeby Press Box: Scott Sabourin, Emil Lilleberg, Charle-Edouard D’Astous IR: Yanni Gourde, Dominic James