While much of the Lightning’s offseason centered around reshaping their forward group, one of their more surprising moves came in net when Tampa Bay acquired Dennis Hildeby from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Nick Paul.
Paul had been a mainstay for the Lightning since joining the team, but after dealing with injuries last season, his role began to shift. His penalty-kill minutes decreased slightly, and with younger players pushing for opportunities, it was likely that his five-on-five minutes would continue to decrease moving forward.
“We could see where the lineup was going, that his role was probably going to diminish within our roster,” said Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois. “Timing was probably right for him to get a change of scenery, and for us to go in a different route with players that maybe complement some of the guys we have.”
The Hildeby trade wasn’t the end of Tampa Bay’s work in goal. Once free agency opened, the organization continued adding depth by signing Olivier Rodrigue and Mads Sogaard to one-year, two-way contracts. The additions give the Lightning more organizational depth at the position, particularly for the Syracuse Crunch.
Sogaard, 25, spent the majority of the 2025-26 season with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, playing in 27 games. He also appeared in two games with the Ottawa Senators and won in his lone start of the season, making 20 saves on January 25 versus the Vegas Golden Knights. Sogaard saw action in one game for Denmark at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games.
Rodrigue, 25, played 10 games for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL in 2025-26, posting a 4-3-1 record with a 3.21 goals-against average and .891 save percentage. He has appeared in two career NHL games, both with the Edmonton Oilers in 2024-25. He was originally drafted by Edmonton in the second round, 62nd overall, of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Prior to free agency, the Lightning had three goaltenders under contract for next season: Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jonas Johansson, and prospect Harrison Meneghin. With Hildeby now in the fold, the Lightning are expected to explore moving Johansson via trade.
