By The Tampa Bay Lightning entered this offseason with limited salary cap flexibility but a clear objective: extend their championship window around the core of Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman.
General manager Julien BriseBois didn’t make the most noise this offseason in the NHL, but he made several calculated moves designed to keep Tampa among the Eastern Conference contenders.
Let’s look at who the Lightning brought to Tampa, and who the Bolts let walk by not offering them a contract.
The biggest acquisition came on the blue line when Tampa Bay signed veteran defenseman John Carlson to a two-year, $17 million contract.
Carlson arrives after another productive season in which he recorded 60 points while averaging more than 23 minutes per game.
A Stanley Cup champion and one of the league’s premier puck-moving defensemen for more than a decade, Carlson gives the Lightning another elite right-shot defenseman capable of quarterbacking a power play and logging heavy minutes.
The Lightning also addressed their forward depth by signing speedy winger Ilya Mikheyev to a four-year contract. Mikheyev is coming off a career-high offensive season with Chicago, and brings exactly what Tampa wanted: speed, penalty killing, defensive responsibility and secondary scoring. He projects as a middle-six winger who can play in virtually every situation.
In 77 games with the Blackhawks, Mikheyev had 36 points with 18G, and 18A.
Physicality was another priority. Tampa signed rugged forward Jeffrey Viel to add toughness, forechecking ability and protection for the club’s skilled forwards.
With the Panthers signing Brady Tkachuk, the Lightning felt they needed a more physical presence in the lineup and Jeffrey Viel is the answer. While he won’t produce major offensive numbers, he gives the Lightning an element they have lacked at times over the past few seasons.
Viel had 3G and 7A for ten points in 45 games for Anaheim last season.
Who Left Tampa Bay
The Lightning traded fan favorite and forward Nick Paul to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goalie Dennis Hildeby, a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and a 2028 third-round pick.
This ensures that after three years, Jonas Johansson will not be back in Tampa next season.
Although Paul was never the flashiest player on the roster, he quickly became one of head coach Jon Cooper’s most trusted forwards after arriving from the Ottawa Senators at the 2022 trade deadline.
Paul also became one of Tampa Bay’s best defensive forwards. He routinely started shifts in the defensive zone, matched up against opposing top lines, and was a fixture on one of the NHL’s strongest penalty-killing units.
His combination of size, reach, hockey IQ, and versatility made him one of Julien BriseBois’ most valuable “Swiss Army knife” players.
Hildeby is an intriguing young goaltender. At 6-foot-7, 231 pounds, the 24-year-old Swede uses his size to cover the net exceptionally well and has steadily developed into a legitimate NHL prospect
With The Maple Leafs, Hildeby was 5-7-4 with a 2.86 GAA. He had one shutout with a save percentage of .912.
One of the more surprising moves came before free agency when Tampa traded defenseman Darren Raddysh to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Raddysh had become a dependable right-shot defenseman and was coming off solid seasons in Tampa. However, with Carlson now taking on a top-four role, the Lightning chose to move Raddysh rather than commit significant long-term money.
Forward Oliver Bjorkstrand departed in free agency after spending last season in Tampa. Although his offensive production dipped with the Lightning, he remained a reliable middle-six scorer and signed with the New York Rangers. His departure creates an opening that the organization hopes Mikheyev can fill.
The biggest story is clearly the addition of Carlson.
For years the Lightning have relied on Victor Hedman to drive offense from the back end. Carlson immediately gives the Lightning another elite puck mover who can play alongside Hedman or anchor his own pairing.
His presence should improve the transition game, while reducing Hedman’s workload over an 82-game season and give head coach Jon Cooper added flexibility.
Mikheyev may end up being one of the most underrated signings of the summer. Tampa’s bottom six became faster overnight, and his ability to kill penalties while contributing 15-20 goals could prove invaluable.
Losing Raddysh certainly hurts the team’s depth, but Carlson represents an immediate upgrade if he continues playing at the level he displayed last season. But the larger question will be whether the 36-year-old can maintain that production throughout the life of his contract.
The departure of Bjorkstrand removes some scoring, but Tampa is betting that Mikheyev’s speed and two-way play better complement its existing core.
The additions of Carlson and Mikheyev don’t dramatically change the identity of the Lightning, they reinforce it, giving the club more experience, more depth and another legitimate opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup in 2026-27.
