Back to the Tampa Bay Lightning Newsfeed

How the 2021-22 Tampa Bay Lightning were built

With Alex Barré-Boulet claimed by the Seattle Kraken and Gemel Smith heading to Injured Reserve, we finally have the season-opening roster for the 2021-22 Tampa Bay Lightning. These are the folks that will begin the title defense when the puck drops later today. Officially there are 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders on the roster, but that includes Smith and Cal Foote who is also out with an injury.

While the bulk of the roster was built from within (13 drafted players) it was rounded out by some savvy signings (6 free agents), and a couple of nice trades (4 players acquired via the trade market).