The Tampa Bay Lightning are losing one of their depth goaltenders.
The Edmonton Oilers have announced that they have signed goaltender Matt Tomkins to a two-year, two-way contract. At the NHL level, the former Bolts goaltender will carry a $775,000 cap hit.
Tomkins spent this season with the Lightning's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. In 26 games this campaign for the AHL squad, he recorded a 12-10-4 record, a .907 save percentage, and a 2.55 goals-against average. This was after he had a 15-12-2 record, a .904 save percentage, and a 2.53 goals-against average in 29 games in 2023-24 with Syracuse.
Tomkins also played in three games with the Lightning during the 2023-24 season, where he posted a 3-2-1 record, a 3.33 goals-against average, and a .892 save percentage. He did not make an appearance for the Lightning this past season.
Overall, Tomkins has been a solid AHL goalie in the Lightning's system, so the Crunch will certainly miss having him around. Now, he will likely serve in a similar role with the Oilers organization from here.
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