The Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers have swapped minor-league defenseman. Tampa Bay has sent Roman Schmidt to Philadelphia in exchange for Ethan Samson . Schmidt is in his second season in the AHL, while Samson is in his third.

This move swaps an imposing, physical defender for a more mobile, two-way option. Schmidt stands at 6-foot-5 and 215-pounds. He uses that heft, and a long reach, to shut down entry into the defensive zone and control space in front of his own net. That focus has held Schmidt to just one point in 13 games this season and six points in 62 career AHL games. He has led the Syrcause Crunch in penalty minutes in each of the last two seasons – with 38 PIMs this year and 79 PIMs in 49 games last year. Tampa Bay originally drafted Schmidt in the third

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