Pedzisa mutsara unotevera: Mumwaka unotevera, Cloutier akatengeswa pazuva re1999 NHL Entry Draft (June 26, 1999) kuTampa Bay Lightning. Akatumirwa kuTampa Bay, pamwe chete nomumhanyi Niklas Sundstrom, wokutanga-kutenderera akasarudzwa (Nikita Alexeev) muna
2000 uye yechitatu-kutenderera sarudzo (yakazotengeswa) muna 2000, yeMheni yekutanga-kutenderera sarudzo mune dhizaini yegore iro (Pavel Brendl). Nekuenda kwemutambi wekutanga weTampa Bay, Bill Ranford, kuDetroit Red Wings uye Darren Puppa ave pedyo nekupera kwebasa rake, Cloutier akatora chinzvimbo chekutanga chekirabhu yake nyowani. Mwaka wekutanga waCloutier semutambi weNHL wakambomiswa kakawanda nekukuvara kwakawanda uye kumiswa. Akatambura musana wakasimba pakutanga kwemushandirapamwe musi waNovember 18, 1999, uchimumanikidza kubva pamitambo miviri. Musi waNdira 14, 2000, akamiswa neligi kwemitambo mina mushure mechiitiko ne Islanders kumberi Tim Connolly. Mushure mekunge vaviri ava vawirana, Cloutier akaongorora Connolly, ndokuzomurova musoro (ngoro yaConnolly yakanga isina kukuvara) paakanga akarara chiso pasi pachando. Mwedzi wakatevera wacho, akarovazve muzongoza wake musi waFebruary 21 uye akarasikirwa nemitambo mina. Cloutier akarasikirwa nemimwe mijaho mina kutanga musi wa14 Kurume mushure mekukuvara mutsipa wake. Kukuvadzwa kwake kwechina kwemwaka kwakaitika musi waKurume 28, paakamanikidza musana wake wepakati (MCL) uye akarasikirwa nemitambo mishanu. Akapedza mwaka wa1999-2000 achitamba mumitambo 52 yeLightning, achinyora kuhwina 9, kurasikirwa 30 uye kubatana kwe3 sezvo timu yakapedza yechipiri-yekupedzisira muligi. Akanyoresa 3.49 GAA uye.885 kuponesa muzana.