Putting together a playoff roster in the salary cap era is a bit like alchemy – take a lot of research, mix it with some logic, and toss in a little mysticism while adding a dash of hope. Then maybe, just maybe you’ll turn a bunch of hockey players into a Stanley Cup. As the years have worn on, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s roster has slowly transformed from a home-grown unit to more of a patchwork of trades and free-agent signings. Such is the price of success in the NHL.
Julien BriseBois (with a little help from Steve Yzerman) has used a pretty balanced approach to building this roster. There are seven draft picks, seven free agents, and nine players acquired via trade. Yes, we cheated a little in including Jake Guentzel as a trade acquisition, but that’s technically how the Bolts got him.
Of the seven draft picks, four of them were used with the Lightning’s picks while three were used with picks the team traded for. Interestingly, enough, two of the free agents (Darren Raddysh and Mitchell Chaffee) were signed and played with Syracuse before earning a call-up to the Lightning. Five of the trades happened at the deadline while six of the players acquired in trades arrived within the last year.
Here is how the 2024-25 Tampa Bay Lightning were put together.
Draft Picks
Anthony Cirelli – 2015 Third Round, 72nd overall (originally the Florida Panthers’ pick)
Gage Goncalves – 2020 Second Round, 62nd overall
Nikita Kucherov – 2011 Second Round, 58th overall
Brayden Point – 2014 Third Round, 79th overall (originally the Minnesota Wild’s pick)
Victor Hedman – 2009 First Round, 2nd overall
Nick Perbix – 2017 Sixth Round, 169th overall
Andrei Vasilevskiy – 2012 First Round, 19th overall (originally the Detroit Red Wings’ pick)
Free Agents
Cam Atkinson – signed July 2, 2024 (one-year contract)
Mitchell Chaffee – signed May 16, 2024 (two-year contract)
Zemgus Girgensons – signed July 1, 2024 (three-year contract)
Luke Glendening – signed July 1, 2023 (two-year contract)
Emil Lilleberg – signed July 1, 2024 (two-year extension)
Darren Raddysh – signed August 23, 2023 (two-year extension)
Jonas Johansson – signed July 1, 2023 (two-year contract)
Trades
Oliver Bjorkstrand – March 5, 2025 – acquired along with Yanni Gourde and the rights to Kyle Aucoin from Seattle for Mikey Eyssimont, 2025 second-round pick, 2026 first-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick.
Conor Geekie – June 29, 2024 – acquired along with J.J. Moser, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2024 seventh-round pick from Utah for Mikhail Sergachev.
Yanni Gourde – March 5, 2025 – acquired along with Oliver Bjorkstrand and the rights to Kyle Aucoin from Seattle for Mikey Eyssimont, 2025 second-round pick, 2026 first-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick.
Jake Guentzel – June 30, 2024 – acquired from Carolina Hurricanes for a 2025 third-round pick.
Brandon Hagel – March 18, 2022 – acquired along with a 2022 fourth-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick from Chicago for a 2023 first-round pick, 2024 first-round pick, Boris Katchouk, and Taylor Raddysh
Nick Paul – March 20, 2022 – acquired from Ottawa for Mathieu Joseph and a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Erik Cernak – February 17, 2017 – acquired with Peter Budaj, a 2017 seventh-round pick, and a 2017 conditional pick from Los Angeles for Ben Bishop and a 2017 fifth-round pick.
Ryan McDonagh – May 21, 2024 – acquired, along with a 2024 fourth-round pick from Nashville for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick.
J.J. Moser – June 29, 2024 – acquired along with Conor Geekie, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2024 seventh-round pick from Utah for Mikhail Sergachev.
