Tampa Bay Lightning place 24-year-old forward on waivers

The Tampa Bay Lightning have had a strong start to the season with a 5-3-0 record but on Sunday they surprised many by placing former second round pick Gabriel Fortier on waivers.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Gabriel Fortier had surgery in the off season & this move could signal that he's close to a return. The 24 year old forward has mostly played with the Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch over the last two seasons scoring 29 & 26 points respectively. Standing at 5 foot 11 Fortier relies on his skill rather than physical size consistently producing solid numbers in the AHL since he turned pro in the 2018-19 season.

Despite showing potential Fortier has only appeared in 11 NHL games scoring one goal during that time. While he's provided valuable depth for Tampa Bay's forward group his future with the Lightning is uncertain as the team expects him to clear waivers & return to the AHL to continue his recovery.

Currently waiver activity across the league remains fairly slow & Fortier was the only player placed on waivers Sunday. It's likely waiver movement will stay limited as the season progresses.

Stay tuned for more updates as we monitor this situation closely.