There was a changing of the guard in Tampa Bay this summer. 

After back-to-back years of first-round playoff exits, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois was forced to make two difficult decisions this off-season. Long-time captain Steven Stamkos walked to free agency, and in a draft-day move that nobody saw coming, he dealt Mikhail Sergachyov to Utah. 

But even with those massive departures, it feels more like the Lightning are retooling on the fly than plainly rebuilding. After all, Tampa Bay still lacks a first-round pick in 2025, while Victor Hedman was signed to a contract extension, and Jake Guentzel joined via in free agency. This season will likely be the last real push for another championship, before they must re-evaluate their path for the future.

Several players within the Lightning’s prospect pool took huge steps last season, as the team’s depth was significantly tested with injuries to lineup regulars. Mitchell Chaffee earned a full-time NHL role by the end of the campaign. Gage Goncalves, Declan Carlile and Max Crozier all made their NHL debuts, and Emil Lilleberg’s surprise emergence on the blueline felt reminiscent of Nick Perbix’s the season prior. 

As a result, their future looks brighter than it did in years’ past, especially with Conor Geekie now in the fold. There may very well be several serviceable NHLers in this group – we will see how many will make it there.