Can the Lightning Strike Again in 2025-26?
The Tampa Bay Lightning head into the 2025–26 season in an interesting spot, mixing the core that’s carried them through championship runs with a fresh group of role players and depth pieces. They’ll face many challenges this season, including in the Winter Classic, one of the NHL’s key games and an outdoor NHL game with a national spotlight. Down the middle, they’ve still got one of the league’s best one-two punches in Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli. This duo are two guys who can hurt you offensively and lock things down defensively. Yanni Gourde’s return, after several years away from Tampa for the Seattle Kraken, brings back some of the grit and energy fans loved during the Cup years, while veterans like Zemgus Girgensons and Luke Glendening add reliable depth. Jake Guentzel, though more of a natural winger, gives them a high-end scoring option who could slot in at center if needed. Young players like Nick Abruzzese and Gage Goncalves may not start with big roles, but they’ll be ready if injuries hit.
The wings are still loaded with firepower. Nikita Kucherov remains the engine that drives this offense by leading the league in both assists and points the previous two seasons, and pairing him with guys like Brandon Hagel and Oliver Bjorkstrand ensures steady secondary scoring. Guentzel can also slide over to the wing and potentially form a terrifying trio with Kucherov and Point. The bottom of the lineup is filled with hard-working, physical forwards like Nick Paul and Boris Katchouk. These two are perfect for playoff-style hockey with their scoring and physicality. Depth guys like Jakob Pelletier and Pontus Holmberg bring some extra skill and versatility to keep things balanced.
On defense, Victor Hedman is still the rock. His two-way game continues to set the tone for the entire blue line, and Erik Cernak’s physical, shutdown style is the perfect complement. Ryan McDonagh’s return adds leadership and steady play, while newcomers J.J. Moser and Darren Raddysh bring puck-moving ability and a bit of offense. The depth behind them in Emil Lilleberg and Simon Lundmark provide options, but the bottom pairing could be a weak spot against deeper teams. As always, health will be key, because Hedman and McDonagh can’t carry massive minutes all season without it catching up to them.
In net, Tampa still has one of the best insurance policies in the sport in Andrei Vasilevskiy. When he’s on his game, he can flat-out steal wins. Jonas Johansson has shown he can be a capable backup, though consistency has been an issue. Ryan Fanti is there for depth, but the team will be leaning heavily on Vasilevskiy staying healthy. All in all, the Lightning should remain a playoff team, but they’re no longer the unstoppable force they once were. Their top forwards and defense are still among the best, but depth on the blue line and in net behind Vasilevskiy could be trouble if injuries pile up. If the stars stay healthy and the supporting cast chips in, they can still make noise in the Eastern Conference, but one or two key injuries could push them into the fight just to make the postseason.
