Overview
- Tampa Bay traded a 2027 third-round pick to Chicago to acquire the exclusive NHL signing rights to Jack Pridham, with the deal announced on Monday.
- The Lightning said Pridham will play college hockey next season, which preserves Tampa’s control of his rights without requiring an immediate entry-level contract.
- Pridham, a 2024 third-round pick of Chicago, broke out in 2025–26 with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, totaling 46 goals and 44 assists in 65 regular-season games and starring in Kitchener’s OHL title and Memorial Cup run.
- Chicago converted an expiring prospect right into a draft asset rather than risk losing Pridham for nothing after he declined to sign by the teams’ deadline.
- Analysts note the move follows a pattern of prospects seeking clearer NHL opportunity outside Chicago’s crowded prospect pool and could leave Tampa with a higher-upside player to develop through the NCAA.