Lightning could turn to rookie defenseman to bolster defensive core
After winning the Stanley Cup this past season, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be looking into their farm system to help replace key veteran defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Zach Bogosian. The pair of veterans were lost in free agency, and one rookie seems to be ready to make the jump this season.
Defenseman prospect Callan Foote appears to be a prime candidate to jump into a top-4 role for the Lightning this season. The 21-year-old was the 14th pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and he has the size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) and skill to be just that. He is also the son of former NHL defenseman Adam Foote, so hockey is in his blood. Last season, his second season being a pro, he tallied 28 points (6 goals, 22 assists) in 62 games for Syracuse of the American Hockey League.
"He's a really smart player," Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said of Foote. "Physically, he's gotten a lot stronger."
Tampa Bay could definitely use a rookie like Foote to perform well at the NHL level since they still need to re-sign Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak. Foote was the only defenseman without NHL experience to play on the 33-player roster to begin Phase 3 of the NHL's Return to Play Plan in July.
"It's good for us guys from the AHL to show coaches how far we've come," Foote said. "The biggest thing for me is improving my skating, quick feet, and that's come a long way. It's been a good year for me in Syracuse to get more physical, closing guys out. This was a huge challenge. There are bigger, stronger, faster guys up in the NHL."
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Filip Forsberg | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Adam Gaudette | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| David Perron | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brady Tkachuk | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Artem Zub | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ridly Greig | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jonathan Marchessault | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shane Pinto | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jake Sanderson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Thomas Chabot | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Matthew Highmore | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Vinnie Hinostroza | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Roman Josi | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan O'Reilly | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mike Amadio | - | - | - | |
| Drake Batherson | - | - | - | |
| Anton Forsberg | - | - | - | |
| Claude Giroux | - | - | - | |
| Kevin Gravel | - | - | - | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 54 | 37 | 14 | 3 | 77 | |
Capitals | 52 | 34 | 11 | 7 | 75 | |
Stars | 52 | 34 | 17 | 1 | 69 | |
Oilers | 52 | 32 | 16 | 4 | 68 | |
Hurricanes | 53 | 32 | 17 | 4 | 68 | |
Golden Knights | 53 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 68 | |
Panthers | 54 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 67 | |
Wild | 53 | 31 | 18 | 4 | 66 | |
Maple Leafs | 52 | 31 | 19 | 2 | 64 | |
Avalanche | 54 | 31 | 21 | 2 | 64 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||