Following the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2025 playoff exit, one of the questions surrounding the team was what they would do regarding their backup goalie spot. Jonas Johansson was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but now that will not happen. This is because the Bolts announced on May 7 that they have signed Johansson to a two-year, $2.5 million contract extension.
With this move, Johansson will remain as the Lightning's backup goalie moving forward and has gotten a nice raise from his previous $775,000 average annual value. This roster move also impacts Lightning star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
With Johansson staying put, Vasilevskiy's workload will very likely continue to be among the highest of all NHL goaltenders. Johansson has made just 45 appearances over the last two seasons with the Lightning, which included only 19 games in 2024-25. Vasilevskiy, on the other hand, was tied with Connor Hellebuyck for the most starts this season with 63.
Furthermore, during the 2023-24 campaign with the Lightning, Vasilevskiy still made 52 starts after not making his season debut until late November. Johansson made a career-high 26 appearances that season but only played four games from February to March.
Vasilevskiy has shown that he can handle a larger workload, as he has made at least 60 appearances in four different seasons. With the Lightning extending Johansson instead of bringing in a potential backup upgrade, Vasilevskiy is likely to still be among the NHL goaltenders with the most starts from here.
In 63 games this season with the Lightning, Vasilevskiy had a 38-20-5 record, a .921 save percentage, and a 2.18 goals-against average. In five playoff games against the Florida Panthers, he posted a 1-4 record, a 3.27 goals-against average, and a .872 save percentage.
