2025-26
Record: 50-26-6, 106 points, 2nd in Atlantic Division
Playoffs: Lost to Montreal in First Round
Key Losses
D – Darren Raddysh (Trade w/ TOR), F – Corey Perry (LA), F – Oliver Bjorkstrand (NYR), F – Nick Paul (Trade w/ TOR)
Key Additions
F – Ilya Mikheyev (Signed via FA), G – Dennis Hildeby (Trade w/ TOR) , D – John Carlson (Signed via FA)
2026-27 Preview
Will Hildeby Lighten Vasilevskiy’s Workload?
The Toronto Maple Leafs faced several difficult decisions during the offseason, one of which involved 25-year-old goaltender Dennis Hildeby. The Tampa Bay Lightning took advantage of the opportunity to acquire Hildeby, sending forward Nick Paul to Toronto as part of the trade.
For Tampa Bay, the move represents an investment in the future. Hildeby has the potential to develop into the Lightning’s goaltender of the future while also providing a more reliable option behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. With Vasilevskiy entering another demanding season, however, the bigger question will be how effectively Hildeby can help reduce the workload on the longtime starter.
Since taking over as Tampa Bay’s No. 1 goaltender, Vasilevskiy has consistently carried a heavy workload, playing at least 50 games in every season with the exception of the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He has also appeared in more than 60 games three times over the past six seasons, demonstrating just how heavily the Lightning have relied on him.
With the NHL regular season expanding to 84 games, managing Vasilevskiy’s workload will become even more important. The Lightning will need Hildeby to establish himself as a dependable backup who can handle a meaningful number of starts and give Vasilevskiy additional opportunities to rest throughout the season.
If Hildeby can provide that stability, the Lightning could not only protect their franchise goaltender from unnecessary wear and tear but also accelerate the development of a potential successor. For Tampa Bay, getting the right balance between winning now and preparing for the future will be critical.
Can The Lightning Get Past the First Round?
For the Tampa Bay Lightning, the goal entering the 2026-27 season remains the same: return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and make another deep postseason run. However, after several early playoff exits, the bigger question is whether the Lightning can finally break through and make it past the first round.
Since falling to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, Tampa Bay has been eliminated in the first round in each of the past four seasons, losing to the Florida Panthers twice, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Montreal Canadiens. For a franchise that reached three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals from 2020 through 2022 and won two championships, that level of postseason disappointment has undoubtedly raised questions about whether the Lightning’s championship window is beginning to close.
The challenge will be even greater in 2026-27. The Montreal Canadiens are emerging as one of the Eastern Conference’s rising teams, while the Florida Panthers remain one of the league’s most physical and dangerous contenders. Toronto will also be looking to remain in the playoff mix, making the Atlantic Division an incredibly difficult place to secure postseason positioning.
For Tampa Bay, simply making the playoffs may no longer be enough. The Lightning have the experience, leadership, and talent to contend, but they need to prove they can translate that into postseason success again. If they can stay healthy, get strong goaltending from Andrei Vasilevskiy, and receive meaningful contributions from their younger players, Tampa Bay could still make another run at the Stanley Cup.
However, the margin for error is becoming smaller. The Lightning will need to navigate one of the NHL’s toughest divisions just to reach the postseason, and once they get there, they’ll likely have to go through some of the Eastern Conference’s best teams to return to the Stanley Cup Final.
Projected Lineup
Offense
Jake Guentzel — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel — Anthony Cirelli — Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgensons — Yanni Gourde — Ilya Mikheyev
Pontus Holmberg — Dominic James — Conor Geekie
Defense
Victor Hedman — J.J. Moser
Ryan McDonagh — Erik Cernak
Charle-Edouard D’Astous — John Carlson
Goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Dennis Hildeby