On June 22, The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported that Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Due to this, there appears to be a good chance that the right-shot defenseman will end up signing elsewhere.
If Perbix does, in fact, end up moving on from the Lightning this off-season, it would not be particularly surprising if the Bolts looked to bring in another right-shot defenseman to replace him. One trade candidate who could make sense for the Lightning because of it is Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jordan Spence.
Spence has been creating chatter as a trade candidate, and he would be a very good player for the Lightning to target. The 24-year-old defenseman has shown good promise early on in his career and has the potential to blossom into a legitimate top-four defenseman. Due to this, he would be a nice replacement for Perbix in the Lightning's roster if acquired.
Spence is coming off a solid 2024-25 season with the Kings, as he set new career highs with four goals, 24 assists, and 28 points in 79 games. With numbers like these, he could be a strong pickup for the Lightning's top four and power play. However, he could also still be a nice upgrade to the Lightning's bottom pairing.
In 180 career NHL games over four seasons, Spence has posted eight goals, 61 points, and a plus-29 rating.
Report: Lightning Defender To Hit Free-Agent Market
According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> defenseman Nick Perbix will hit the free-agent market on July 1.
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