When the Tampa Bay Lightning first recalled defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous from the American Hockey League in late October, the veteran 6-foot-2 professional hockey player had nearly everything on his resume but an NHL game.
D’Astous at the time said he wanted an opportunity to prove himself as an NHL player. Not even three full months later, the 27-year-old defenseman has done that—and more.
After helping Tampa Bay weather numerous injuries on its back end, stepping up on both offense and with 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 $875,000 average annual value.
The defenseman has scored three goals and 13 points through 33 games in his first NHL season.
“It went pretty fast, to be honest,” D’Astous said of the negotiation. “I wanted to stay here, and I think the team wanted me to stay here, too. I’m so happy and grateful that I can continue my journey with Tampa.”
Since D’Astous made his NHL debut on Oct. 25, the Lightning have posted a 23-9-1 record and earned the fourth-most standings points of any team. He ranks third among Lightning defensemen in goals (three), assists (10) and points (13), and his 39 penalty minutes are second-most on the Tampa Bay blue line.
His two game-winning goals are tied with Darren Raddysh for the most by any Bolts defenseman.
He has helped the Lightning through injuries to multiple key pieces this season including captain Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and Emil Lilleberg. As a result, D’Astous has played in numerous spots in the lineup and seen time on the power play and penalty kill.
“Coming in, getting the chance to play that much, I'm very fortunate for the coaches that they have confidence in me and they're putting me in all those situations and playing a lot of minutes. Obviously it hurts when you see guys miss games. I mean, in one way, it's good for me because I have an opportunity to prove myself and help the team, but in another way, it's hard because those guys are big, big pieces of our defensive core,” D’Astous said. “But I'm very happy that the coaches trust me and give me the chance to prove myself and be able to contribute more to the team's success.”
D’Astous’s journey to the NHL was unlike most.
He first signed with the Lightning this offseason after impressing 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 claim a regular season title.
He played the previous 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 goal scorer among blueliners.
After stints in Europe, the ECHL and AHL, D’Astous has finally put pen to paper on a one-way deal in the NHL, and it feels even better than he thought it would.
“If I look back on my journey, my career so far, if you would have told me when I was 21, 22, or when I was in Europe that today I would sign a one-way deal for next year, it would have been hard to believe,” D’Astous said. "It's been an incredible journey for me, and I’m really happy about the new contract with Tampa.”
He won’t let that feeling go, saying he plans to keep working to get better. There is no final satisfaction for the veteran defenseman despite finally reaching 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’ve got better in myself. I think I can bring more,” he said. “I just want to get better every day. Now that I’ve proven that I can be here, I want to prove that I can make a difference.”
