James was called up from AHL Syracuse on Wednesday.
James has no points and two PIM in two outings with Syracuse in 2026-27. The 24-year-old logged 43 regular-season outings with Tampa Bay in 2025-26, recording seven goals, 15 points, eight PIM and 58 hits. If James draws into the lineup Thursday versus Seattle, then he's most likely to occupy a bottom-six role. However, Tampa Bay has 13 healthy forwards, including James, and the Lightning sometimes dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, so there's no guarantee that James will be in the lineup.