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Tampa Bay Lightning · right-shot defenseman · age 29

Erik Cernak scouting report

Overall
50.9
Position rank
144th / 327
Cap hit
$5.2M
Expires
2030-31 UFA
Value verdict
Overpaid
Model value
$983K

The Tampa Bay Lightning right-shot defenseman carries a 50.9 overall, 144th of 327 rated defensemen, which is roughly league-average for regular NHL minutes.

His best component is defensive impact at 70, with finishing (38) trailing the rest of his game.

His rating fell from 46.9 in 2024-25 to 15.1 in 2025-26, one of the bigger drops in his 8-season card history.

His $5.2M cap hit through 2030-31 grades Overpaid, about $4.22M above the $983K the model expects a player of his output to earn, with 5 seasons left to run.

His cap hit is the 10th-largest on the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL roster and uses 5.0% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $3.66M in cap space.

Component ratings

ComponentRating (0-100)
Offense39
Defense70
Play driving44
Finishing38
Penalty kill66

Career line

SeasonTeamGPOverallWAR
2025-26TBL6115.1-0.9
2024-25TBL7646.9-0.5
2023-24TBL6919.4-0.7
2022-23TBL7037.9-0.5
2021-22TBL5559.7-0.4
2020-21TBL46860
2019-20TBL6730.7-0.7
2018-19TBL5873.9-0.1

Other TBL defensemen by rating: John Carlson (90.7), Charle-Édouard D'Astous (84.2), J.J. Moser (69.3), Maxwell Crozier (55.2). See the full Tampa Bay Lightning cap sheet.

How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.