Tampa Bay Lightning terminate young player's contract

The Tampa Bay Lightning's core group has been together for quite some time to great success for the organization, but around them, the supplemental pieces have continued to change.

We've seen some intriguing young players emerging in the organization, but according to recent reports, it appears as though one talented prospect won't get that opportunity.

In addressing Tuesday's waivers, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman surprisingly revealed that the team are parting ways with Niko Huuhtanen, who has been placed on waivers for the purpose of contract termination.

It's unclear exactly what happened between the two parties to make this change, but even as late as this off-season, Huuhtanen was regarded as a top-10 prospect in the Lightning organization by many.

The 22-year old was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft by Tampa Bay, and after putting up 8 goals and 20 points in 51 games of his first professional season in the AHL in 2024/25, hopes were very high.

However, he was demoted to the ECHL this season after posting 3 assists in 5 AHL games, with something clearly going wrong between the two parties to cause him to be sent to the ECHL, and now waived by the team.

At this point in time, it's unclear what exactly happened to cause the Lightning to make this move, as Huuhtanen appeared to be a very solid prospect for the future of this organization, but now, he'll be looking for his new home in professional hockey.