The Lightning’s Future Is Too Bright to Ignore

Tampa Bay General Manager Julien BriseBois acknowledged earlier this month that none of the team’s fan base has much interest in listening to how good a team the Lightning were this past season in the wake of its fourth consecutive first-round exit from the National Hockey League Playoffs.

“This is a very good hockey team,” BriseBois explained in his season wrap-up press conference. “But our failure to move past the first round of the playoffs is going to overshadow that.

“That is just the reality.”

In the same vein, much of the Lightning Nation may also be shrugging its shoulders when it hears how good a roster BriseBois is piecing together for the 2026-27 season.

“We had an excellent hockey team this year,” BriseBois continued. “We’re going to have an excellent hockey team again next year, just based on the players that we expect to have coming back.”

THAT is “just the reality,” and things are unfolding already this off-season to make the future even brighter.

On Friday, BriseBois signed the very young, but also very talented forward, Benjamin Rautiainen, to a three-year entry-level deal worth just over $3,000,000. 

“He has a tremendous level of skill and play-making ability,” BriseBois said of Rautiainen. “He’s still a young player. He is still in his development. He is still physically in his development. 

“But, we are very curious to see what comes next for him.”

The 20-year-old just completed an historic season in the Finnish Liga, where he tallied a league-best 77 points in 59 games, including 25 goals. 

Rautiainen is under contract with Tappara next season, but his Tampa contract allows him to take part in training camp. If he makes the NHL roster, his three-year deal begins after being active in 10 games. 

If Rautiainen does not make the Lightning roster, he will return to Finland until the conclusion of Tappara’s season. 

At that point, he could be brought back to Tampa or play in Syracuse.

“We try to bring in guys who are hard to play against,” BriseBois said. “We try to bring in guys who are highly competitive.”

Tampa Bay did that in spades this past season, and the roster for September’s training camp is overflowing with talent, a lot of which is young and very salary-cap friendly.

Right now, the Lightning have nearly 20 forwards to compete in training camp, and none of the group would embarrass themselves in an NHL game. 

Veterans Anthony Cirelli, Zemgus Girgensons, Yanni Gourde, Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, Pontus Holberg, Nikita Kucherov, Scott Sabourin, and Nick Paul each will return, as will young, talented players in Gage Goncalves and Dominic James. 

That’s four lines of NHL-level ability, right there. 

What is veteran Lightning coach Jon Cooper going to do when he also has Jakob Pelletier (77 points in Syracuse), Dylan Duke (59 points in Syracuse), Conor Geekie (59 points in Syracuse), Nick Abruzzese (51 points in Syracuse), and possibly, Rautiainen, to add to that competition?

And then there is the wondrous dilemma that BriseBois, Cooper, etc. have on their hands with young forward Sam O’Reilly. 

“Sam is a young player,” BriseBois said, “but with really good upside.”

That is quite the understatement. 

O’Reilly has split this Ontario Hockey League season between London and Kitchener, and won the 2026 Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player.

He accumulated 71 points in 56 regular-season games and has totaled 28 points in 18 postseason games. 

He has led Kitchener to the Memorial Cup Final, which starts this week.

“The way that Sam plays the game already,” BriseBois said, “even with that small sample that we got in training camp (last fall), tells me he probably won’t need that much time in order to be able to come here and contribute.”

BriseBois was lukewarm when asked about trade deadline (July 1) deals and free agents signing, and with good reason. 

His team is stacked offensively entering training camp. 

The young ability and potential on this roster, coupled with bounce-back seasons from Paul and Point, as well as the continued growth of Goncalves and James, the anticipation for next season should be enough to dampen the disappointment of losing to Montreal. 

“It’s nice to have some of these young prospects like Benjamin (and) like Sam in our pipeline,” BriseBois said. “There were a few years there where we didn’t have much. (And) Conor Geekie is far from a finished product. These guys are still 20-, 21-years-old. They have a decade of good hockey to give us.”