Chucky’s Back: D’Astous hopes to make a difference after reconnecting with the Lightning
When the Tampa Bay Lightning first recalled defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous from the American Hockey League in late October, the 6-foot-2 veteran hockey player had everything in his debut but an NHL game.
D’Astous said at the time that he wanted an opportunity to prove himself as an NHL player. Less than three full months later, the 27-year-old defenseman has done just that—and more.
After helping Tampa Bay weather the worst of its backcourt woes, stepping up with both offense and some physicality when needed, the Lightning on Friday announced a one-year extension that will keep D’Astous in Tampa through the 2026-27 season at an average annual salary of $875,000.
The defenseman has three goals and 13 points in 33 games in his first NHL season.
“It went really fast, to be honest,” D’Astous said of the interviews. “I wanted to stay here, and I think the team wanted me to stay here too. I’m very happy and thankful that I can continue my journey with Tampa.”
Since D’Astous made his NHL debut on Oct. 25, the Lightning posted a 23-9-1 record and earned the fourth-most points of any team. He ranks third among Lightning defensemen in goals (three), assists (10) and points (13), and his 39 penalty minutes are the second most on Tampa Bay’s blue line.
His two game-winning goals are tied with Darren Raddysh for the most by any Bolts defenseman.
He helped the Lightning through injuries to several key players this season including captain Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and Emil Lilleberg. As a result, D’Astous played multiple spots on the roster and saw time on the power play and penalty kill.
“Coming in, getting a chance to play so much, I’m very lucky for the coaches who trust me and put me in all those situations and play a lot of minutes. Obviously, it hurts when you see guys miss games. I mean, in a way, it’s good for me because I have a chance to prove myself and help the team, but in another way, those pieces are hard, very hard,” D’Astous said. to the team’s success.”
D’Astous’ journey to the NHL was unlike most.
He started to sign with the Lightning this season to start after having a great time overseas. The veteran defenseman was the 2025 Swedish Hockey League (SHL) Defenseman of the Year after scoring 12 goals and 39 points to help his Brynäs IF team to the regular season title.
He played the last two seasons in the Finnish Elite League, where he was named the league’s best defenseman and also won the Juha Rantasila Trophy as the league’s top scorer among blueliners.
After stints in Europe, the ECHL and the AHL, D’Astous has finally penned a one-way deal in the NHL, and it feels better than he thought it would.
“When I look back on my journey, my career so far, if you would have told me when I was 21, 22, or in Europe that today I would sign a contract to work for next year, it would be hard to believe,” said D’Astous. “It’s been an amazing journey for me, and I’m very excited about the new contract with Tampa.”
He won’t let go of that feeling, saying he plans to keep working to get better. There is no final satisfaction for the veteran defenseman despite finally making it to the NHL.
“I want to make a difference every day. Every time I’m in the lineup I want to help the team win. I think I’m better than myself. I think I can bring something more,” he said. “I just want to get better every day. Now that I’ve shown that I can be here, I want to show that I can make a difference.”
