The Lightning are activating Maxwell Crozier from injured reserve before tonight’s game against the Avalanche, head coach Jon Cooper told the team’s beat (including the team’s own Gabby Shirley). There’s an open roster spot, so no corresponding transaction will come. A strong training camp from Crozier, plus an injured reserve placement for Nick Paul, created the space for him to start the year on the opening night roster for the first time. The 2019 fourth-round pick was a standout in AHL Syracuse last season. He was an alternate captain in just his second full professional season and he was the team’s top all-around defender, posting a 9-25–34 scoring line and a +16 rating in 52 outings. Over the prior two seasons, he’d also held his own with two assists, a -2 rating, and 27 hits in 18 NHL games in bottom-pairing deployment. Not only did Crozier make the opening night roster, he was in the lineup for the Bolts’ first four games. The 25-year-old righty looked like a potential depth breakout piece, rattling
