The Tampa Bay Lightning are not necessarily known for possessing the strongest of prospect pools. Years of being among the top teams in the league and being aggressive buyers at the trade deadline will naturally do that.
Yet, while many consider the Lightning's prospect pool among the bottom in the NHL, that does not mean that they do not have promising youngsters in their system. An example of one is forward Jack Finley.
Finley, 22, quietly had a very solid season with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL in 2024-25. In 40 games with the AHL squad on the year, he scored a career-high 14 goals, while also recording 28 points and a plus-11 rating. He also played in his first career NHL game with the Lightning on Jan. 14 against the Boston Bruins.
Overall, Finley took a nice step forward in his development this season and will now look to continue to improve from here. When looking at the Lightning's current group, there is reason to believe that the 6-foot-6 forward could get more consistent chances on the NHL roster next season.
It is no secret that the Lightning's bottom six is due for a makeover, and a forward like Finley could be a solid addition for their fourth-line center spot because of it. Finley would offer the Bolts a much younger replacement for pending unrestricted free agent Luke Glendening and could surprise fans if given the opportunity to play more consistently at the NHL level.
Finley has shown promise at the AHL level and has the potential to become a nice part of the Lightning's roster. It will be interesting to see if he takes a big step forward next season for the Atlantic Division club from here.
NHL offseason provides opportunity for a hungry Lightning organization
Now with the 2024-2025 season officially in the books for Tampa Bay, the organization will look to make all the right competitive moves to hopefully return to the Stanley Cup once again.
The National Hockey League offseason is the perfect time for every hockey club to take a step back and improve their roster before a demanding regular season. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, they will be quite the busy bee this summer in hopes of one key mission: winning a Stanley Cup.
For a team desperate to see playoff success during the 2025-2026 NHL season, the 2025 offseason will be a critical time for the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. The Lightning were sadly kicked from the playoffs at the hands of the Florida Panthers. Florida’s play was simply too much for the Lightning, causing the Bolts to be sent back home in a mere five games.
Per PuckPedia, the Lightning will have a projected $5,813,334 to spend in free agency. Additionally, PuckPedia records Tampa Bay as having a total of seven draft picks in the 2025 NHL draft. PuckPedia lists the highest pick as being a second round draft pick from the Los Angeles Kings.
Thankfully, the offseason is an opportune moment for the organization to critically analyze what went wrong during the series. The team will certainly be strategizing and evaluating everything hockey as the season comes forward. Tampa Bay would currently be considered to be in a “win-now” situation. As a result, the Lightning are willing to be aggressive in improving their roster.
Fans should not be surprised if the Lightning make any trades during the offseason, especially during the draft. Julien BriseBois, current General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is known for his aggressive style of trading in the National Hockey League. While fans can sit here and recount all of the costs of BriseBois’s trades, fans should be looking at what he has done for the hockey club.
Since taking the helm, BriseBois has helped the organization consistently make the playoffs and win two Stanley Cups. What more can one ask from their general manager? BriseBois surely will not take his foot off the gas pedal this offseason, but rather look for new opportunities to take his organization to the next level.
In terms of free agency, fans can expect the team to possibly bolster their bottom six and third pairing defensemen. Depth is key for any playoff team. The Lightning have steadily taken steps over the years to get quality depth on their roster. Just this past season, the Lightning acquired Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken for the very purpose of rounding out their roster. Specifically on their fourth line, the Lightning may look to sign a gritty forward in order to develop a solid squad for the 2025-2026 NHL season.
Stanley Cups are won in the offseason, so look for the Lightning to hopefully be busy in all the right ways this summer.
