Lightning Defender Likely Done in Tampa

This Lightning defenseman's days in Tampa could be over.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have some big decisions to make. With the start of free agency being exactly one week away, things are starting to heat up. They need to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos and have only just over $5 million of cap space. Thus, they are expected to make some moves. 

Given the Lightning's current cap situation, there is a good chance that we will see some of their pending UFAs leave. One player who may not be back for the Lightning in 2024-25 because of this is defenseman Haydn Fleury. 

Fleury, 25, spent each of the last two seasons with the Lightning, primarily as a depth defender. Over the course of his two years in Tampa Bay, he played in just 53 games, posting one goal, six points, and a minus-5 rating. Five of his points with the Lightning came during the 2023-24 season. 

With Fleury's role in Tampa Bay being relatively small, it seems likely that both sides could move on this summer. The Lightning have other defensemen in their system who could take over Fleury's depth spot. 

If Fleury does in fact become a free agent, he should get some interest from clubs looking to add extra defenders to their rosters. We will need to wait and see what happens with the 2014 seventh-overall pick from here. 

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