Summer Coolers – Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning enter 2026-27 with Jon Cooper beginning his 15th season behind the bench after finally capturing the Jack Adams Award. But Tampa Bay’s championship core is getting older, and GM Julien BriseBois made some fascinating decisions this summer. Darren Raddysh and Nick Paul are gone, while veteran John Carlson joins a blue line already featuring Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Neil Smith and Vic Morren examine whether Tampa still has another Stanley Cup run left—or whether age is finally becoming the Lightning’s biggest opponent.
IN THIS EPISODE:
[00:00:00] Jon Cooper begins his 15th season with Tampa Bay after receiving the long-awaited Jack Adams Trophy as NHL Coach of the Year.
[00:00:20] One of the offseason’s biggest surprises is Darren Raddysh being signed and then traded following a breakout season on Tampa’s injury-depleted blue line.
[00:00:40] Raddysh signs an eight-year, $8.5 million-per-season contract before being sent to Toronto for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
[00:00:55] Nick Paul also heads to Toronto after establishing himself as one of the NHL’s more dependable middle-six forwards.
[00:01:00] Tampa receives goaltender Dennis Hildeby plus 2027 and 2028 draft picks in the Paul deal.
[00:01:15] John Carlson joins Tampa as a free agent, but his arrival only increases the age of an already veteran defense.
[00:01:30] Victor Hedman is 35, Carlson 36 and Ryan McDonagh 37, creating questions about how long this defensive core can remain effective.
[00:01:45] Neil notes that Hedman is reportedly healthy and ready to return after not playing following March 10.
[00:02:00] Tampa will miss Raddysh’s booming point shot and the career-best offensive season he produced before being dealt.
[00:02:20] Neil believes the Lightning need to begin stocking the organization with younger defensemen because Hedman, Carlson and McDonagh cannot remain the foundation forever.
[00:02:40] The aging issue extends up front. Nikita Kucherov is 33, Jake Guentzel 31 and Brayden Point 30, while Brandon Hagel is 27.
[00:03:00] Andrei Vasilevskiy remains an elite goaltender, but Neil points to his history of hip issues as something Tampa must continue monitoring.
[00:03:25] Hildeby provides another option in goal, while Tampa also adds Matt Zuccarello and Ilya Mikheyev.
[00:03:50] Jeffrey Viel and Jansen Harkins bring bottom-six depth, with Viel coming off an impressive playoff performance in Anaheim.
[00:04:00] Scott Sabourin returns on a one-year deal, giving Tampa additional toughness for matchups against its increasingly physical Florida rival.
[00:04:30] Neil likes Viel and Sabourin as players who can provide some of the grit Tampa will need against the Panthers.
[00:05:00] Corey Perry returns to Los Angeles, while Oliver Bjorkstrand joins the Rangers, Mitchell Chaffee heads to the Islanders and Declan Carlile signs with Pittsburgh.
[00:05:20] Prospects to watch include Sam O’Reilly, Dylan Duke and 2023 second-round pick Ethan Gauthier.
[00:05:45] Vic returns to the biggest offseason question: why trade Raddysh when he is six years younger than Carlson and both received $8.5 million annually?
[00:06:00] Neil believes the answer is track record. Raddysh produced one outstanding season, while Carlson has demonstrated his value for roughly a decade.
[00:06:20] Tampa is committing only two years to Carlson compared with the eight-year commitment attached to Raddysh.
[00:06:40] Neil considers Raddysh’s contract a major gamble because he has only one season that truly supports an $8.5 million valuation.
[00:07:00] BriseBois apparently decided he could not justify that long-term risk, accepted a fifth-round pick and moved on.
Tampa Bay still possesses Kucherov, Point, Guentzel, Hedman and Vasilevskiy, so the talent remains formidable. But this is now the NHL’s seventh-oldest roster, and several cornerstone players are entering the later stages of their careers. The Lightning remain dangerous—but the urgency to squeeze another championship out of this core is becoming impossible to ignore.
