The Lightning's decision to sign this defenseman last year undoubtedly paid off.
Back in May 2025, the Tampa Bay Lightning quietly signed defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season. This was after the 6-foot-2 blueliner posted 12 goals and 39 points in 49 games with Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in 2024-25.
While this signing did not get a ton of attention when it was first made, there is no question that it paid off in a nice way for the Lightning last season. The 28-year-old defenseman became a solid part of Tampa Bay's blueline last season and proved he belongs at the NHL level in the process.
In 70 games during this past season with the Lightning, D'Astous posted six goals, 23 assists, and 29 points. Besides providing solid offense from the point, he also gave the Lightning's blueline more bite, as evidenced by his 96 hits and 112 penalty minutes last season.
The Lightning clearly liked what they got from D'Astous, as they signed him to a one-year, $875,000 contract extension for the 2026-27 season back in January. They will now be hoping that he can have another solid season for them in 2026-27. Now that he has a year of NHL experience on his resume, maybe he could take his game to a new level next season.
