Heading into the preseason’s final week, the surest sign that October is almost here is upon us. The Tampa Bay Lightning made their second and largest wave of roster cuts.
On the heels of back-to-back preseason victories over the Nashville Predators, the Bolts announced their biggest roster cut up to this point. Having cut seven players this past week, Tampa Bay reduced their camp roster by 25 on Sunday morning. Looking over the roster cuts, none of the names reassigned to either Syracuse or elsewhere came as a surprise:
Forwards
-Olivier Archambault
-Alex Barre-Boulet
-Troy Bourke
-Michael Bournival
-Brady Brassart
-Ross Colton
-Boris Katchouk
-Alexey Lipanov
-Kevin Lynch
-Taylor Raddysh
-Otto Somppi
-Jonne Tammela
-Carter Verhaeghe
-Dennis Yan
Defensemen
-Cal Foote
-Cam Gaunce
-Hubert Labrie
-Dominik Masin
-Oleg Sosunov,
-Matt Spencer
-Ben Thomas
-Daniel Walcott
Goaltenders
-Corbin Boes
-Connor Ingram
-Eddie Pasquale
One player the organization and fans kept their eyes on was Foote, their first round pick from 2017. Although he showed some flashes throughout camp, he’s still a player that needs this year in Syracuse to develop and adjust to the speed of the pro game. Among the forwards who ended up not making the cut, Katchouk showed a lot of promise. Scoring a pair of goals in his first two games and handing out six hits in Saturday’s win, Katchouk’s blend of size and scoring ability make him a player to watch going into his first season in Syracuse.
In addition, the team announced that Walcott and Lynch will both miss extended time due to injuries suffered in preseason action. Walcott will miss 5-6 months with a shoulder injury, while Lynch is out 4-6 weeks with a lower body injury.
While the usual suspects from last season seem to have their spots locked up, some youngsters are knocking on the door.
Among the 30 remaining players in camp, roster hopefuls Erik Cernak, Mathieu Joseph, Mitchell Stephens, and Alexander Volkov have all been very impressive in both camp and preseason games. Cernak continues to make a strong case for inclusion on the opening night roster. However, at this rate, he’s more likely to be the first player called up in case of injury. His combination of two-way play, size, and the fact he’s a right-handed shot put him at the head of the Lightning’s class when it comes to defensive prospects. Joseph has NHL-caliber speed and has showcased that in spades during the preseason, while Stephens’s two-way play has stood out. Volkov, who followed up an impressive camp a year ago with 23 goals and 45 points in Syracuse, continues to make a strong case to be included on the opening night roster.
Two other players who have impressed are Adam Erne and Andy Andreoff. Erne was called up late last season and showed flashes before he suffered an injury that knocked him out of the entire postseason. This is a make-or-break season for the 2013 second round pick, and he’s played that way in the preseason. He should end up on the roster for the season opener on October 6. Andreoff, acquired from the Kings this summer for Peter Budaj, could easily slot in onto the fourth line. He’s a versatile veteran forward who can take faceoffs, kill penalties, and possesses plenty of speed.
UPDATE: As of 2:30 pm Sunday afternoon, the Lightning assigned Andreoff and fellow forward Gabriel Dumont to Syracuse. Their roster now sits at 28 with three preseason games remaining.
