Yesterday was the last day when NHL teams could make moves or sign players ahead of the upcoming Expansion Draft. In contrast with some other teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning were relatively quiet, but still made two deals before the Expansion Draft roster freeze.
As a first deal, the Lightning signed Swedish defenceman Fredrik Claesson to a one-year, two-way deal. Claesson was acquired before the Trade Deadline last spring in exchange of goaltender Magnus Chrona and played in two regular season games with the Bolts, spending most of the time on the taxi squad. With the potential departure of Luke Schenn, who’s becoming a free agent on July 28, Claesson will likely be a candidate for seventh defenseman spot on the Lightning roster.