The Tampa Bay Lightning had a great season that ended in disappointment after losing to the Florida Panthers in Round 1 of the playoffs . Now, they believe they can make things right and overcome the Eastern Conference champions. The Lightning's dream scenario in 2025 NHL free agency involves making small changes that could vault them back into contention.

If the NHL still had the old playoff structure, the Bolts would have faced the Ottawa Senators in the first round and might not have crossed paths with the Panthers until the Eastern Conference Final. Regardless, the Lightning drew the Cats early and fell apart. This team has all the elite pieces in town. But there is still work to do.

Nikita Kucherov is still one of the best players in the NHL, but he has struggled in the last

See Full Page