The Lightning announced Friday that they’ve recalled goaltender Matt Tomkins from AHL Syracuse. Presumably, Jonas Johansson or Andrei Vasilevskiy is unavailable or uncertain for this afternoon’s game against the Predators, although the team hasn’t confirmed either’s status yet. The Lightning have an open roster spot and $1.43MM in current cap space, per PuckPedia, so they don’t need to make a corresponding transaction to accommodate Tomkins’ addition.
Tomkins, 30, has a subpar .890 SV% and 3.12 GAA in eight showings for Syracuse this season, although it’s somewhat irrelevant what his numbers are. Tampa Bay has no other option for a recall – they only have three goaltenders under contract. They would likely need to sign 28-year-old Brandon Halverson, who’s outperformed Tomkins by a wide margin in Syracuse this season while on an AHL contract, to an NHL deal if either Johansson or Vasilevskiy is out for any time.
Tomkins, an Edmonton native, is in his second season with the Bolts. The Ohio State grad started last season as Johansson’s backup while Vasilevskiy was on the shelf recovering from back surgery, posting a 3-2-1 record in six starts with a .892 SV% and 3.33 GAA in his first-ever NHL action.
A seventh-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2012, Tomkins spent four seasons playing for their AHL and ECHL affiliates before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2021 and heading overseas, playing two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League with Frölunda HC and Färjestad BK. He also appeared for Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics and World Championship, winning a silver medal at the latter as the third-stringer behind Chris Driedger and Logan Thompson.
Tomkins passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season. He can remain on the Bolts’ roster for up to 30 days or appear in 10 games before he requires them again to return to Syracuse.