As the Tampa Bay Lightning look to return to Stanley Cup territory, these are three trades they need to make in the 2025 NHL offseason.

BRANDON — If the Lightning’s path back to the Stanley Cup Final now goes through the Panthers, it might not look like they’ve done enough this offseason to topple their cross-state rival. This was an interesting free agency season. Many of the top players available came off the board before July 1.

This summer has been in stark contrast from that of a year ago for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who this time around addressed the bottom six of the forward ranks.

Florida Panthers players hoist the Stanley Cup after a 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla., securing the NHL championship. Photo by David Santiago [email protected]

With all of the big moves the Florida Panthers made this offseason, they need to find ways to free up some more cap space.

(AP) — The Florida Panthers are two wins away from becoming the ... the league should subsidize teams in places like New York and Los Angeles. The Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken ...

It has been four years since Jeff Petry last made an appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was a memorable postseason, with Petry and the Montreal Canadiens making it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 before ultimately falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have become a familiar face in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 10 playoff appearances. However, in the past three postseasons, they haven’t made it past the first round. If they don’t advance to the second round this upcoming postseason, could it be the end of the Jon Cooper era in Tampa?

The Florida Panthers became the 19th team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, joining the Pittsburgh Penguins and Wayne Gretzky's Oilers dynasty.