The Tampa Bay Lightning have been one in every of the steadiest and most consistent teams within the NHL this season, and as they head into Friday’s trade deadline, they’re in first place within the Atlantic Division. Nevertheless, they’ve seen their lead shrink to 2 points over the Buffalo Sabres as they’ve lost their last three games as they head into Thursday’s road game against the Winnipeg Jets.
Is that this recent dip the beginning of a legitimate slump, or will head coach Jon Cooper see his team shake off the problem and return to the shape that saw them reel off a 20-1-1 streak that began in late December and proceed through the primary game after the Olympic break?
Prior to this transient but somewhat notable losing skid, little was expected of the Lightning on the trade front. That is not a surprise, since the team was performing at such a high level. There was little reason for the Lightning to trade any of the important thing players, the role players or the prospects. There was even less of a reason to usher in a number of the high-priced talent that can almost definitely move before the deadline Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
General manager Julian BriseBois has not seen his team’s name come up in lots of trade rumors this yr. A part of the explanation for that’s mentioned above. The team was playing at a peak level for a really lengthy period and it didn’t appear like the concept of constructing a key trade would help the team in any way. The opposite reason is that BriseBois frequently plays his personnel decisions very near the vest. He doesn’t often comment on rumors or provide hints of the moves he’s planning to make across the trade deadline, free agency or the draft.
Lightning had injuries earlier within the season, however the team kept on winning
While the Lightning have much of their full complement as they prepare for the ultimate 20-plus games of the season, that they had numerous injuries in January that might have had a major impact. Regardless that the Lightning was playing without star defenseman Victor Hedman and elusive center Brayden Point for a lot of those games, they were winning night after night.
It must be somewhat alarming that a comparatively healthy Tampa Bay team is currently struggling. They’ve an opening at right wing on their second line where Anthony Cirelli serves as the middle for left wing Brandon Hagel. One player that BriseBois and Cooper could possibly be is Blake Coleman of the Calgary Flames.
Calgary frequently plays hard and is usually competitive frequently, but they lose most nights. In consequence, the Flames are usually not a playoff contender and so they could make moves by the deadline.
Certainly one of their forwards is a former member of the Lightning in Blake Coleman. He played a key role for the Lightning after they won consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and ’21.
On the time, Coleman was a bottom six forward and he clearly played his role and did it well for the Lightning.
If he was solid for Tampa Bay then, he could slot in for the Lightning this season.
Coleman was a 30-goal scorer just two years ago for the Flames, but he has not been capable of reach that height within the last two seasons. He scored 15 goals and 24 assists in 2024-25 and people numbers have continued to shrink this yr. He has just 13 goals and nine assists in 48 games for the Flames.
Coleman is a solid veteran who has played 10 years within the NHL. He is just not an enormous man, but he’s a solid 5-11 and 199 kilos, and which means he can go into the corner and win the battle. He’s definitely able to playing a physical game when it’s required.
No reason for this team to panic
Cooper is clearly among the finest coaches in the game. Along with his two Stanley Cup triumphs, he led Canada to a championship in last yr’s 4 Nations Face-Off and a silver medal within the Winter Olympics. While losing to america within the gold medal game in time beyond regulation was a disappointment for Cooper and his players, there is not any reason to think that he cannot rally his team to a robust finish.
A transient 3-game losing streak shouldn’t result in any panic by Cooper or BriseBois. Picking up a task player like Coleman is a wonderful idea, but making any form of panic move by sending a key player out of town for a possible star is just not vital. The Lightning have a winning solid of characters readily available and so they needn’t match the moves of other contenders just like the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild.
In the event that they were to force a move simply because other teams are energetic, it could turn right into a nightmarish moment for the Lightning.