Lightning sign newly acquired defenseman J.J. Moser to 2-year deal

TAMPA — The Lightning have signed J.J. Moser, the top-four defenseman acquired from Utah in the Mikhail Sergachev trade, to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $3.38 million.

Moser, who had been Tampa Bay’s only unsigned restricted free agent, filed for a salary-arbitration hearing. But the Lightning, who haven’t gone to arbitration with a player since 2007, avoided another with the deal.

Moser, 24, will get a sizable raise from his previous three-year, entry-level contract, which carried an AAV of $886,667.

A left-shot defenseman who can play both sides, he five goals and 26 points for the Coyotes last season in his third NHL season.

Moser averaged 20:34 in ice time, playing mostly on the left side of Arizona’s top pairing. He could switch to the right side next season, as Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh spearhead the left side. Moser, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 173 pounds, also can contribute on the penalty kill and power play.

In Sergachev, the Lightning lost a 22-minute-a-game defenseman who skated on both special-teams units.

Moser will make $2.7 million next season and $4.05 million in 2025-26, according to PuckPedia. Signing him to a two-year deal allows the Lightning to keep his restricted free-agent rights for one more season, giving them the ability to sign him to a longer third contract That would eat up years of unrestricted free agency, which he currently reaches after the 2026-27 season.

The deal does take up a major chunk of the Lightning’s remaining salary-cap space. With 20 players currently on one-way NHL contracts, the Lightning have just $2.37 million remaining under next season’s $88 million cap.

That doesn’t include players like left-shot defenseman Emil Lilleberg ($870,000 cap hit) and newly signed forward Jesse Ylonen ($775,000), both of whom are on two-way deals and only count against the cap when they are on the NHL roster.

If the Lightning were to carry both players on their roster, it would leave them only $730,000, which is less than the $775,000 league minimum. The team would have to make an additional roster move to add another player.

• • •

Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.

Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.