Tampa Bay Lightning Additions, Subtractions, Extensions During Busy Offseason

TAMPA, Fla. – Who could have guessed the Tampa Bay Lightning would engage in trades and free agent signings with the intent of keeping the Stanley Cup window open, yet the blueprint did not include retaining the beloved captain who was immense in leading the Bolts to two Cups and three straight Cup final appearances?

While Steven Stamkos is a member of the Nashville Predators, it was announced Tuesday that Victor Hedman was extended at $8 million per over four years. While the world-class defenseman was a key piece within said blueprint, the 2024-25 Lightning will have a drastically different look than the group that skated off the ice in Sunrise and into the sunset.

“The end result is we improved our team and our odds of success both in the short term and the long term,” said general manager Julien BriseBois, while acknowledging how disappointing it was not to come to terms with Stamkos.

Read: Tampa Bay Lightning Unveil The 2024-25 Season Schedule

Here is a look at the result of much of the Lightning’s wheeling and dealing.

Additions: Jake Guentzel was the headliner among free agents. The two-time 40-goal scorer, who Carolina rented after the 29-year-old spent six-plus seasons with the Penguins, agreed to a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $9 million….The Bolts welcomed back defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who spent four-plus seasons and won two Cups with the Bolts. The 34-year-old, who has 191 games of playoff experience, will be a key figure in the room….J.J. Moser is a top-four defenseman who averaged 20:34 with Arizona (now Utah) last season while recording 31 points…..Conor Geekie has yet to play an NHL game, though without question Arizona’s 11th overall selection in 2022 is a top prospect whose stock certainly was not hurt after scoring 43 goals and posting a plus-51 in the Western Hockey League last season……Forward Zemgus Girgensons signed a three-year deal ($850,000 per) after playing 63 games (11:50 ice time) with the Sabres last season. The 30-year-old has played 688 games, all with Buffalo, and has 89 goals..…The Lightning acquired was 22-year-old forward Lukas Svejkovsky, who arrived from Pittsburgh and has yet to make his NHL debut. The Tampa native is the son of former Lightning forward Jaroslav Svejkovsky, who played 29 games with the club in 1999-00.

Read: Tampa Bay Lightning Lock Up Star Defenseman Hedman With 4-Year Extension

Subtractions: Obviously, Stamkos was the biggest name in the NHL to change jerseys. He agreed to a four-year, $32-million deal with the Predators after playing 16 seasons and scoring 555 goals with the Lightning…..Mikhail Sergachev was dealt to Utah in the deal that returned Moser and Geekie. The 26-year-old defenseman, who missed significant time last season due to a leg injury, played seven seasons and 471 games with the Lightning. His 670 blocked shot are second all-time in club history…..Forward Anthony Duclair and defenseman Matt Dumba were acquired from, respectively, San Jose and Arizona at the last season’s trade deadline. The veteran free agents were not retained. Duclair signed with the Islanders and Dumba with Dallas….Defenseman Calvin de Haan (Colorado) and forward Tyler Motte (unsigned) were signed last offseason.

Extensions: Hedman is now the face of the franchise. The 33-year-old was a second-overall selection of the Lightning in 2009 and has won two Cups, a Norris Trophy, played in 1,052 games, and scored 728 points, which is third among active defensemen….Emil Lilleberg acquitted himself quite well when he was summoned from Syracuse (AHL) in January. The 23-year-old defenseman averaged 16:12 of ice time and had a physical presence that earned him a two-year extension at an average of $800,000.

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Tampa Bay Lightning Additions, Subtractions, Extensions During Busy Offseason