TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed defenseman Slater Koekkoek to a one-year, one-way contract worth $800,000 today, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced.

Koekkoek, 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, played in 29 games with the Lightning in 2016-17, recording four assists. He also skated in 48 contests with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, notching two goals and 13 points. Koekkoek also appeared in 22 Calder Cup Playoff games and registered a goal with seven points as the Crunch reached the finals.

The Winchester, Ontario native has played in 41 career NHL games, all with Tampa Bay, and recorded five assists. He has also skated in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games and dished out one assist in those contests. Koekkoek has played in 180 career AHL games, all with the Crunch, recording 12 goals and 54 points. He has appeared in 25 career Calder Cup Playoff games and registered a goal and eight points.

Koekkoek, 23, was drafted by the Lightning in the first round, 10th overall, of the 2012 NHL Draft.

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed free agent left wing Chris Kunitz to a one-year contract worth $2 million, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced today.

Kunitz, a native of Regina, Saskatchewan, has played in 884 career NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers and Anaheim Ducks, recording 250 goals and 580 points with a plus-183 rating. He won his first Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007 before going on to win three more with Pittsburgh in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Kunitz was also named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team in 2013.

The 6-foot, 195-pound forward has played in 161 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, making him the Lightning’s most experienced playoff performer (Girardi, 122). Kunitz has recorded 27 career postseason goals and 92 points. He has skated in 77 Stanley Cup Playoff games in the previous five seasons.

Kunitz played in 71 games with the Penguins last season, notching nine goals and 29 points. He ranked second on Pittsburgh for hits with 216 while averaging 15:30 in ice time per game. Kuntiz appeared in 20 playoff games, registering two goals and 11 points. He netted the winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Ottawa Senators to send the Penguins to their second consecutive Cup Final.

The 14-season veteran was undrafted out of Ferris State University.

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed goaltender Michael Leighton to a one-year, two-way contract, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced today.

Leighton, 36, appeared in four games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, compiling a record of 2-2-0 to go along with a 3.43 goals-against average and .870 save percentage. The 6-foot-3, 186-pound goaltender has played in 110 career NHL games, posting a record of 37-43-4 with 10 ties, to go along with a 2.98 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. Leighton has also appeared in 16 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, registering a 8-4 record to go along with a 2.54 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He started for the Flyers during the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, losing to Chicago in six games.

The Petrolia, Ontario native also played in 23 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League during the 2016-17 season, posting a record of 11-7-3 to go along with 2.17 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. Leighton has appeared in 318 career AHL games over 10 seasons, compiling a record of 157-120-32 to go along with a 2.41 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. He’s also played in 16 career Calder Cup Playoff games, posting a record of 7-8 to go along with a 1.79 goals-against average and .947 save percentage.

Leighton was originally selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the sixth round, 165th overall, at the 1999 NHL Draft.

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forward Carter Verhaeghe from the New York Islanders in exchange for goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced today.

Verhaeghe, 21, skated in 45 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League, recording 16 goals and 29 points with 20 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound forward ranked tied for third on the Sound Tigers for goals and tied for fifth for power-play goals with four. He set career highs for games played, goals, assists, points and power-play goals during the 2016-17 season. Verhaeghe also played in 16 games with the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL, collecting 12 goals and 32 points.

The Toronto, Ontario native has appeared in 77 career AHL over the past three seasons with the Sound Tigers and Toronto Marlies, collecting 22 goals and 45 points. Verhaeghe played four seasons with the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League prior to turning pro, recording 83 goals and 224 points in 262 career games.

Verhaeghe was originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round, 82nd overall, at the 2013 NHL Draft.