Will Nikita Kucherov be the next NHL player to hit 1,000 career points? The Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/] have announced that defenseman Steven Santini has been recalled from their American Hockey League [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl/] affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Santini, 29, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning this past off-season. Since then, he has appeared in 14 games with the Crunch, where he has two goals, five points, and a minus-2 rating. Now, he is getting his first crack on the Lightning's NHL roster. Santini last played at the NHL level during the 2022-23 with the St. Louis Blues. In four games with the Blues that season, he had one assist and two penalty minutes. Steven Santini [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExMzA0NDEyNzkzMDIyNDUy/usatsi_24402026.jpg] Steven Santini Santini has appeared in 123 career NHL games over seven seasons split between the New Jersey Devils [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/], Nashville Predators, and Blues. During them, he has recorded five goals, 23 points, 297 hits, and a minus-8 rating.