2025 NHL Summer Cooler – Tampa Bay Lightning
the Tampa Bay Lightning. And this is John Cooper’s 14th season behind the Lightning bench. Last season, finished second in the Atlantic with 102 points, third in the East, seventh overall in the entire NHL. But they do lose to Florida, five games in the opening round. And they’ve got out in the first round each of the past three seasons since trying to make it a three repeat in the 2022 Stanley Cup final. The Lightning did however finish first overall in offense in the league, 3.56 goals per game despite losing longtime captain Steven Stamco to free agency last year. Yeah. And they didn’t seem to miss a beat not having Steven Stampos there. They ended up with Gensel taking his place on the power play and then they were still really an offensive juggernaut to to play against. But when the playoffs came, I think you said something earlier in the show that ZTO was doing with the Panthers, filling in for those bottom players that are on the ice. It’s one thing to have the cooer offs and the Gensels and all these other stars that that they have and Vaselki a net by the way, but you also have to have real good depth players, third line, fourth line players, second pair defense, third pair defense, and that’s where I think Tampa fell a little bit short. Now, that’s not to blame Julian Breez or John Cooper because I think Vic, where Tampa Bay finds themselves right now, they find themselves having to pay for that Stanley Cup. players got to get paid and you can’t pay these guys most of the cap and still have great depth players. That and that’s where I think Chicago when they hit the when they hit the salary cap era and they won their three Stanley Cups, not in a row, but they won three Stanley Cups. They found themselves starting to get depleted because they had to decide who to give the money to. Kane and Taves and Dunc and Keith took all the money and they didn’t have enough for to really put a lot of good players around them. So, I think that Tampa Bay is in the same situation. They still have all stars on that team and plenty of stars and plenty of reasons to go see Tampa play whenever you can because they’re an exciting team. Where they can go in the playoffs, we’ll have to wait and see. Let’s talk about their ads. They got Sam Riley in a trade with Edmonton for Isaac Howard who was the 2025 Hobie Baker Award winner coming out of Michigan State. He’s a prospect that is sound defensively has some offensive upside. They also added you just mentioned before coming over from Toronto as a UFA. Podas Halberg, a right-wing and Jacob Pelier signed as a UFA after the Flyers, who they had acquired in a trade with Calgary, did not offer him a qualifying offer. So, Tampa Bay scoops in, brings him on board, and these could be a couple of really solid bottom six signings that Breezeb has made here. They could very well be. I think you already mentioned Homeberg was good with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a depth guy and Pelchce. He just got to Philadelphia last year in from the Calgary Flames. They could be two real good pickups that want an opportunity to prove that they’re good and now they’re going to play with a star-studded Tampa Bay team and may be able to be even better. the resigns on this club. Goalender Yonis Johansson who’ll be backing up. Andre Vasilelesi resigns as a UFA. Yanni Gourd resigns as well. Six years, a little over two million a year. Engage Canon, who I thought was a very effective player at times last year, also stays on with the Lightning. They lose Isaac Howard, as we’d mentioned before, and defenseman Nick Perix goes to Nashville as an unrestricted free agent. So, as we head into the new year, we know that this team is formidable, particularly offensively, although their defense was actually pretty good as well. They were fourth in the league in goals against per game. But that offense is number one. The power play even without stamp co only dropped to fifth from first the year prior. There’s cooer off there’s point Brandon Hegel had a career year. Gensel at 41 goals and Anthony Cerelli with 27 goals. So I think now the question is there enough snarl? Is there enough grit on this team? and I think you mentioned it already and I do want to point out also one of the things that I thought really hurt them which definitely flew under the radar during the playoffs was Oliver Bjorkstrand who was acquired around the deadline last year from Seattle and he suffered an injury against Detroit on the 11th of April. It was a compartment syndrome injury where you get swelling and internal bleeding and he wound up missing the entire playoffs. Would he have made the difference against Florida? Probably not. But this is certainly a guy that as expected he’s going to be healthy this year, able to return. And I think this is going to be a good addition for them over the course of a full season. We talked about it before. They need more depth guys. They need the depth guys there to support the people that you just mentioned, the points and Cellis and Cucheras and Gensels and you can go on. There’s five or six great players on this team. So yes, I think that getting him back will be a good thing for Tampa.
In this episode of NHL Wraparound’s Summer Coolers, Neil Smith and Vic Morren break down the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team loaded with offensive firepower—but still struggling to get out of the first round of the playoffs.
Despite finishing second in the Atlantic and ranking #1 in league scoring, the Lightning were eliminated in the first round by the Panthers for the third consecutive season. With John Cooper entering his 14th season behind the bench and Steven Stamkos gone to free agency, is this still a contender—or a team quietly slipping?
The hosts discuss Tampa’s cap-strained strategy, new bottom-six reinforcements, and whether this team can still fight for another Cup before the window closes.
🧊 IN THIS EPISODE:
[00:00] Tampa finishes 2nd in Atlantic but exits in Round 1 (again)
[00:45] Cooper returns for 14th season; Stamkos is gone
[01:10] Offense ranks 1st in NHL—but depth is the concern
[01:40] New additions: Sam Rielly, Ponta Holmberg, Jacob Pelletier
[02:30] Under-the-radar signings could bolster bottom-six
[03:00] Re-signings: J. Johansson (backup goalie), Yanni Gourde, Gage Goncalves
[03:45] Departures: Isaac Howard, Nick Perbix
[04:20] The real problem: Depth behind the stars
[05:00] Oliver Bjorkstrand injury recap & return outlook
[05:45] What Tampa must do to be more than just a first-round threat
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
The Lightning are still an offensive juggernaut, even without Stamkos—Kucherov, Point, Hagel, Guentzel, and Cirelli all bring elite scoring power.
Depth remains the biggest concern. The stars are still elite, but Tampa’s third and fourth lines aren’t scaring anyone.
Oliver Bjorkstrand’s injury during the regular season hurt more than most realized—his full-season presence could help stabilize the middle-six.
With the salary cap crunch, GM Julien BriseBois had to get creative, adding overlooked but potentially impactful players like Pelletier and Holmberg.
Vasilevskiy remains a top-tier goaltender, and Tampa’s defense (4th GA/G) is quietly solid—but unless role players step up, a deep run is unlikely.
🎯 FINAL WORD:
The Lightning still have the firepower to win any game—but their margin for error has never been slimmer. With Stamkos gone and the Cup core aging, Tampa’s fate may hinge on the emergence of its overlooked role players. They’ll make the playoffs, but a deep run will require more than just elite talent—it will take grit, health, and unlikely heroes.
🔗 RESOURCE LINKS:
📺 YouTube: NHL Wraparound Channel
🐦 X (Twitter): @NHLWraparound
🎤 Neil Smith: @NYCNeil
📘 Vic Morren: Vic on LinkedIn
📸 Instagram: @NHLWraparound
🎵 TikTok: @NHLWraparound
👍 Facebook: NHL Wraparound Facebook
🏒 HASHTAGS
#TampaBayLightning #NHLWraparound #SummerCoolers #JonCooper #StevenStamkos #JakeGuentzel #NikitaKucherov #AndreiVasilevskiy #PatrickKane #JonathanToews #DuncanKeith #SamReilly #IsaacHoward #JakobPelletier #JulienBriseBois #JonasJohansson #YanniGourde #GageGonclaves #NickPerbix #BraydenPoint #BrandonHagel #AnthonyCirelli #OliverBjorkStrand