Lightning’s dream scenario in 2025 NHL Free Agency

The Tampa Bay Lightning had a great season that ended in disappointment after losing to the Florida Panthers in Round 1 of the playoffs. Now, they believe they can make things right and overcome the Eastern Conference champions. The Lightning’s dream scenario in 2025 NHL free agency involves making small changes that could vault them back into contention.

If the NHL still had the old playoff structure, the Bolts would have faced the Ottawa Senators in the first round and might not have crossed paths with the Panthers until the Eastern Conference Final. Regardless, the Lightning drew the Cats early and fell apart. This team has all the elite pieces in town. But there is still work to do.

Nikita Kucherov is still one of the best players in the NHL, but he has struggled in the last couple of playoff rounds. While there aren’t many notable Lightning free agents to worry about, there is still some urgency in Tampa. Getting past the Panthers would be ideal, and these dream scenarios might make it happen.

The Lightning sign a bottom-6 forward in NHL free agency

When most think of NHL free agents, they probably envision Mitchell Marner, Brock Boeser, and Nikolaj Ehlers. But the Bolts already have their elite core in-house, with Kucherov, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, and Jake Guentzel, all of whom scored 80 or more points. They also have Anthony Cirelli, who added 59 points. What the Lightning need is a bottom-six forward who can score.

Guys like Luke Glendening and Cam Atkinson did not fill these roles successfully. After acquiring him from the Seattle Kraken, the Lightning extended Yanni Gourde to a new contract extension. Still, they need at least one or two more players who can help them. Connor Brown can contribute, especially after scoring 30 points for the Oilers this past season.

What makes him a valuable asset is his playoff experience and inexpensive price tag. Overall, Brown would seek about $1 million (his current salary), making him very affordable. Brown is a versatile player who can provide a great option for the Bolts when their stars need some help.

The Bolts add another powerplay specialist in free agency

It was a tale of two seasons for the Lightning. They had the fifth-best powerplay in the NHL during the regular season. Then, they collapsed against the Panthers in the first round, going 1-for-16 on the man advantage. What went wrong? Simple, the power play became too predictable. The Bolts still ran the same play design. However, they did not have a guy in front of the net who could pick up the “garbage goals.” Florida was aggressive on the penalty kill, and Tampa Bay had no answer.

That is why they need to sign a power-play specialist. Patrick Kane is an unrestricted free agent and could be looking for a new home. Currently, the only downside to this would be the salary he might command. Despite his age, Kane might produce a cap hit over the $4 million he had this past season. The Bolts can make room if they can trade some pieces away.

The Lightning shore up the defense 

The Lightning need to shore up their defensive core. While the defense delivered decent results during the regular season, it completely fell apart during the playoffs. Consequently, there were plenty of mismatched lines that harmed them.

Victor Hedman still leads the defense, but he is getting older. His chemistry with JJ Moser was not great, and the Lightning may benefit from adding a depth defenseman in the offseason. Of the NHL free agents on the market, Dante Fabbro could possibly have the most potential out of the low-cost options. Amazingly, he scored 26 points in 62 games while paired with Zach Werenski.

The best news is that he would cost only around $2.5 million. Notably, adding him to the defense can bring about new lines that might form more chemistry and enable them to handle the Panthers in their next clash. Florida’s defense is phenomenal, but they could be losing Aaron Ekblad this offseason, which would be a huge loss.

Overall, the Lightning still have an elite roster, and it was only a couple of seasons ago that they advanced to back-to-back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. But with the Panthers in the division, it’s going to be very difficult to come out of the East again. But if they are able to shore up the depth, and the star power comes through, this core could again be playing for Lord Stanley in the near future.