For the last 23 years (13 with The Hockey News) Dobber and his team have reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them. The 24th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Gone: Darren Raddysh, Nick Paul, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Corey Perry, Declan Carlille, Mitchell Chaffee, Brandon Halverson

Incoming: John Carlson, Ilya Mikheyev, Dennis Hildeby, Jeffrey Viel, Mads Sogaard, Jansen Harkins

Impact of Changes:

After falling in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth year in a row, Tampa Bay has opted to run it back with the same proven core allied with some new faces down the lineup.  Most notably, they chose not to re-sign defenseman Darren Raddysh long term and instead shipped him off to the rival Maple Leafs as part of a sign and trade.  Veteran John Carlson was added in free agency to help fill Raddysh's void on the back end and may end up as the quarterback of a Tampa power play that boasts elite talent, but still has room to improve after finishing 17th in the NHL last season, converting at 20.7%. 

The Bolts had more phone calls with the Maple Leafs this offseason and acquired Dennis Hildeby to be the No. 2 netminder in part of a deal that sent forward Nick Paul to Toronto.  Ilya Mikheyev, 31, was brought in to play much of the same role that Paul occupied in Tampa Bay, fitting in wherever needed throughout the lineup, while killing penalties and pitching in 20 or so goals.  New addition Jeffrey Viel could provide excellent streaming value in leagues that count hits and PIM.  If he can contribute enough value to stay out of the press box, he could lead the NHL in penalty minutes.  The departure of Oliver Bjorkstrand leaves open about three minutes of power play time a night, as well as, a regular spot in the lineup for a young forward (or a goon on nights Tampa faces the Panthers).   

Ready for Full Time:

Dominic James, 24, showed flashes of scoring upside from the bottom-six by finishing with 15 points in 43 games last year, his first in the league.  He, also, proved capable in the face-off circle, winning 50% of his battles, something with which the Lightning struggled mightily last season and have yet to address this offseason. 

After appearing in 52 games in 2024-25, and then just 14 in 2025-26, Conor Geekie will be fighting for a spot on the opening night roster once again.  Geekie, 22, put up 59 points in 57 GP with AHL Syracuse last year, but he will still likely have to compete with a veteran such as Zemgus Girgensons for starts, though with Dobber Band-Aid Boy Pontus Holmberg on the roster, a spot in the lineup may open up sooner than later for Geekie.

Maxwell Crozier, 25, is a right shot defenseman and may play solid minutes paired alongside veteran Victor Hedman on the backend.  Crozier spent much of last year on LTIR, but amassed 10 points, 46 shots, 39 hits, 31 blocks, and 40 penalty minutes while averaging 16:01 of ice time in 35 games.  He will have to beat out Emil Lileberg and C. E. D'Astous for the roster rights, however.   

Swedish goalie Dennis Hildeby, 24, will assume the backup position behind last season's Vezina Trophy winner, Andrei Vasilevskiy.  Hildeby was impressive in 20 appearances with the Maple Leafs last year, recording a .914 SV% and a 2.86 GAA, despite Toronto finishing 31st in the NHL with 3.65 GA/G.  He should set a new career high in starts, but it maxes out around 25-30.

The gifted Finnish forward, Benjamin Rautiainen, signed his ELC with the Lightning and will playing in North America in 2026-27.  At 20 years old, Rautiainen put up 77 points in Finland's top pro league, the seventh best point total in Liiga history.  He is unlikely to make the opening roster this fall, but may get a cup of coffee with the big club before the season's end.

Fantasy Outlook:

The top of Tampa Bay's lineup boasts high end fantasy talent.  Reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov has shown no signs of slowing down, while in net Andrei Vasilevskiy will look to repeat his Vezina winning performance.  Wingers Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel are each reliable point per game producers that will provide 200 shots, 40 hits, and a positive plus-minus rating.  Center Brayden Point is coming off of a down year, but is capable of matching their fantasy production, as he has done so numerous times in the past, and will possibly turn out to be a draft day bargain, provided he can regain his form.  Second line center Anthony Cirelli has back-to-back seasons with a 60-point scoring pace and while he is not a fixture on the top power play he has contributed 10 special teams points in two straight seasons.  The Selke hopeful plays most of his shifts alongside Brandon Hagel and the guru of assists, Nikita Kucherov, so that makes him a valuable option in almost any deeper format. 

On the back end, newcomer John Carlson has strung together three straight campaigns with at least 50 Pts, 150 SOG, and 14 PPP and should be able to match those numbers with ease in his new digs.  Victor Hedman will be good to contribute 40-50 points while maintaining respectable category coverage, but without exposure to Tampa's top power play the captain will not be the same fantasy stud he once was.  J.J. Moser could provide value in deeper leagues, too.  The Swiss d-man managed to score 29 points and a +41 rating while racking up 69 PIM last season.

Further down your fantasy lineup is where the Bolts start to thin out for production.  Gage Goncalves should get plenty of looks to round out the top-six.  He finished last season with 33 Pts, 77 SOG, 85 Hits, 41 PIM, and +26 in 74 contests.  He, also, has just 136 career games under his belt and should hit his breakout threshold around the end of February.

The Lightning may be an excellent source of penalty minutes, too.  The Bolts led the NHL last season with 1,207 PIM, over 200 more than the second-place Boston Bruins and nearly 300 more than the rival Florida Panthers.  If your league counts penalty minutes, stream a Bolt for any Atlantic Division bout. 

All in all, fantasy managers should be thrilled to own any of the top end talent in Tampa Bay, which includes Kucherov, Vasilevskiy, Guentzal, Hagel, Carlson, and, possibly once again, Point.  Cirelli and Hedman should provide safe floors, while Jeffrey Viel has the potential to be a darling banger.  Hildeby looks to be a solid source for goalie streams in the season ahead, while Goncalves is your wild card swing. 

One of these days a changing of the guard will occur and we will be talking about Conor Geekie, Sam O'Reilly, Oleg Kulebiakin and Benjamin Rautiainen.  However, for 2026-27 fantasy managers can expect much of the same from the Bolts.     

Fantasy Grade: B+ (Last year: B)