Lightning 2023 Free Agents, Draft Targets, Offseason Guide After NHL Playoff Loss
After losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning will need to start getting ready for the 2023–24 campaign.
With their primary players getting older, it’s probably time for the Bolts to consider their future after winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 and making it to the Final in 2022.
This summer will be challenging for Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois, so let’s look at the team’s free agents, a few draft targets, and what lies ahead in the coming months.
Unrestricted free agents: Alex Killorn, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Corey Perry, Michael Eyssimont, Ian Cole, Brian Elliott
Restricted free agents: Ross Colton, Tanner Jeannot
In contrast to some other teams, the Lightning don’t have as many free agents this summer, but they do have Alex Killorn, a reasonably significant player, who they’ll need to keep this offseason.
Since entering the NHL during the 2012–13 season, the 33-year-old has been a part of Tampa Bay’s core, and it is certain that the team will need him to return in 2023–24 and beyond alongside Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Brayden Point.
Killorn, who regularly scores 15 goals or more, just finished a career year in 2022–2023 with 27 goals, 37 assists, and a career-high 64 points in 82 games.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner took in $4.5 million in 2022–2023; he might expect to see an equivalent yearly salary in his next deal.
It’s unlikely that the Lightning will try to hold onto Brian Elliott, Ian Cole, and Corey Perry after Killorn. The team needs some new blood as it prepares for the 2023–24 season because everyone on it is at least 34 years old.
