Offseason Checklist: Tampa Bay Lightning

Kucherov will be 34 when that next contract begins, meaning that he should still have a couple of elite seasons in the tank before starting to slow down some.  But even slowing down, there’s a case to make that he’ll have some top-line years (or at worse top-six) ahead of him for a few more years.  Add to that the big jumps coming to the salary cap and there’s a chance that there could be a bit of sticker shock on his next contract.

AFP Analytics projects that a two-year extension for Kucherov could see his price tag increase to a little over $12MM per season.  Speculatively, at that point, the decline would be starting and a subsequent deal could check in at a more affordable rate.  Alternatively, Tampa Bay could look to lock him up on another longer-term agreement (five or six years, for example) and use some of those expected decline seasons to lower the AAV, potentially closer to where it is now.  There’s also the possibility that Kucherov leaves a bit of money on the table as several veterans have over the years although that’s not necessarily something that BriseBois can bank on happening.

Since Kucherov is signed through next season already, this isn’t something that necessarily has to be at the top of the to-do list this summer.  (That said, the team has signed a lot of early extensions at the beginning of free agency before.)  Even if they don’t get something finalized, merely having some talks to get a feel for what the cost might be would be beneficial for planning purposes.

Look Into Backup Upgrades

For several years now, the Lightning have needed to go with low-cost second-string backup goaltenders.  Vasilevskiy being one of the top-paid goalies in the league played a role in that as did their limited cap room.  But with a bit more flexibility this summer, this is something they could look to pursue.

Jonas Johansson has been the backup for the last three seasons, posting a 3.28 GAA and a .889 SV% over that stretch; his 2025-26 numbers were a little worse than those averages.  That the team still won 11 of his 23 starts is a positive sign with a below-average option in goal but imagine what even a small upgrade could do.  If a replacement could win even two or three more of those, that’s a big bump in the standings, especially in a very tight division that could get even tighter next season.  It’s low-hanging fruit but an upgrade could prove rather fruitful.

BriseBois wouldn’t need to shop in the upper tier of the UFA market.  But veterans like Cam Talbot, Vitek Vanecek, or David Rittich shouldn’t cost considerably more than Johansson’s $1.25MM AAV (all but $25K of which would come off the books if he was waived and sent to AHL Syracuse).  While that would cut into what they have left to spend on their other needs, the potential payoff in the standings would make it money well-spent.

Add Right-Shot Forwards

With Corey Perry and Oliver Bjorkstrand set to hit the open market next month and Scott Sabourin not being an every-game player, Tampa Bay’s list of right-shot forwards is rather small.  It starts with Brayden Point but that’s also where the list ends.  Yes, as their roster stands now, they have one right-shot forward in their top 12.

Needless to say, this is something that needs to be rectified.  Having too many players shoot on the same side takes away some options, particularly on the power play.  And having options limited is hardly ideal.

A second top-six forward to balance out the first two forward lines – the role that Bjorkstrand was originally hoped to fill – would be the bare minimum to try to fill here.  That player would also play a role on the second power play unit, alleviating some of the concerns about too many left-shot shots there as well.  Then, bringing in a couple of right-shot depth pieces could open up some options in the bottom six as well.

Of course, this is all easier said than done given their cap constraints.  For them to go this deep into addressing this need, some additional cap space will need to be opened up or they’ll have to use some very cheap players.  One of those to keep an eye on is Sam O’Reilly.  The Memorial Cup MVP had a very strong final season in the OHL and could be a candidate to make the jump to the NHL right away.  It doesn’t always work out as planned – Conor Geekie is an example of that – but O’Reilly could make an immediate impact lower in the lineup to help give them some balance and skill in the bottom six.

With the other areas of need, it seems unlikely that BriseBois will be able to make a bunch of moves to balance out the handedness up front.  But it’s fair to say that some work will need to be done on that front over the next few months.