TAMPA - Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Max Crozier will make his 2026-27 season debut Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers, stepping into the lineup after Emil Lilleberg left Saturday’s game early with an injury sustained in a second-period fight.
Crozier, 26, sat out the Lightning’s first two games of the season despite a strong training camp, a product of Tampa Bay carrying eight NHL defensemen. Lilleberg’s injury changed the calculus. Coach Jon Cooper said Monday he hopes to have Lilleberg back “within a week.”
“A hard-nosed game,” Crozier said of what he plans to bring. “I like to win my 50-50 battles, keep it simple, get the puck to the guys that score goals, play physical and make it easy for (goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy).”
Crozier set career highs across the board in 2025-26, appearing in 35 games and recording 10 points and 40 penalty minutes despite missing extended time due to injury. He also scored his first NHL goal that season. Tampa Bay owned 54.4% of shot attempts with Crozier on the ice last season, third best among Lightning defensemen, a figure that reflects his ability to drive play toward the opposing net.
Assistant coach Rob Zettler said the 26-year-old has earned the staff’s trust through daily consistency. “I know when he gets penciled into the lineup he’s going to compete hard and he’s going to make it hard on the other team,” Zettler said. “We love Crow. We love what he brings to the table.”
Crozier is no stranger to high-stakes moments. He played two playoff games for Tampa Bay last spring in the First Round series against Montreal, delivering a crushing hit on Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky in Game 4 with the Lightning trailing 2-0 in the series. Tampa Bay rallied for a 3-2 victory to even the series. Monday will mark the Lightning’s second consecutive game dressing 11 defensemen.
Teammate Charle-Edouard D’Astous, who skated alongside Crozier in the preseason finale, said he knows what to expect from No. 24. “He brings a lot of physicality and he’s a good skater,” D’Astous said, “so I’m excited to see him on the ice tonight.”
Crozier said his offseason work set the foundation. “I think preparation breeds confidence, and I felt like I had a really good summer mentally and physically, and that really got me prepared for this upcoming season. That translated into the preseason, but now I’m looking forward to translating it into the real season.”
Monday’s game against Philadelphia is Tampa Bay’s third of the 2026-27 season.