Lightning Assign Geekie to Crunch, Recall D’Astous for AHL Playoff Eligibility

The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled defenseman Charle-Édouard D’Astous from the Syracuse Crunch and assigned forward Conor Geekie to Syracuse, the club said in a press release that included the line, "Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois announced today." The roster move was also posted on SyracuseCrunch.com with a timestamp of 10/20/2025 5:26:00 PM and reported by ProHockeyRumors at 5:05 p.m. on Oct. 20, 2025.

D’Astous, 27, is a left-shot defenseman listed at 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds who “appeared in all four of the Crunch’s games this season and has tallied one goal and three points to lead all Syracuse defensemen,” the Lightning release said. The club noted his AHL totals include three goals and nine points in 27 career AHL games between Syracuse, the Colorado Eagles and the Grand Rapids Griffins, and that D’Astous, originally undrafted, is looking to make his NHL debut.

ProHockeyRumors supplied additional background on D’Astous’s path: he spent the past three seasons in Sweden and Finland, produced a breakout ECHL season with 57 points in 52 regular-season games and 30 points in 18 playoff games while earning ECHL Defender of the Year honors, and has been playing a number-one defenseman role for Syracuse through four games, "playing a heavy workload in all situations" while leading Crunch blueliners in scoring with one goal and two assists. ProHockeyRumors also reported D’Astous signed a one-year, two-way deal carrying a $775,000 NHL salary, $150,000 AHL salary, and a $200,000 guarantee.

Conor Geekie, 21, was listed in the release as returning to Syracuse after appearing in six games with Tampa Bay this season, registering one assist and averaging 10:02 of ice time. The Lightning noted Geekie has delivered 15 hits to start the season, tied for the most among Bolts skaters, and that the Strathclair, Manitoba native has played in 58 career NHL games, all with Tampa Bay, totaling eight goals and 15 points. TheHockeyNews highlighted that Geekie remains on his entry-level contract and “does not require waivers for the move.”

Transaction timing and roster strategy carry an extra layer of context: an original report supplied with these notices asserted the moves were timed around the trade deadline to protect AHL playoff eligibility, stating that post-deadline rules allow four such moves. The Tampa Bay press release itself did not cite that rationale, and the ProHockeyRumors and SyracuseCrunch posts focus on the immediate recall and assignment.

The roster notes published alongside the move also left other depth questions open: TheHockeyNews reported the Lightning scheduled a Tuesday practice that would clarify the status of right-shot defenseman Max Crozier after he was placed on injured reserve the prior week, and it recorded that Steven Santini was recalled as insurance for back-to-back road games before being reassigned to Syracuse. For D’Astous, the recall represents a concrete chance at an NHL debut after a multi‑league climb; for Geekie, the assignment sends a young, physical forward back to Syracuse where he can receive heavier minutes without requiring waivers.