The Lightning are only a few games into the 2026-27 season, but there’s already a clear early snapshot forming. Tampa Bay has gotten a little bit of everything: a new face settling in fast, a young player building momentum, a star shaking off last season’s setbacks, and a veteran doing the dirty work without much spotlight.
Ilya Mikheyev has probably been the cleanest early fit of the bunch. Signed in July, he came in with 427 games of NHL experience and a reputation that wasn’t built on flash.
He wasn’t a player fans were lining up to rave about. He was more of a steady piece - someone who could chip in around 20 goals, earn Selke votes, and handle his business in the middle six.
So far, that’s exactly what he’s looked like.
Mikheyev has three points already, including his first goal and first multi-point game of the season in Monday’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He also set up Nikita Kucherov’s lone goal in the season opener last week.
The two-way game has shown up too. He’s blocked a couple of shots, and he threw five hits in the win over Washington.
That’s the kind of all-around work that makes him look like a strong fit in this system.
Conor Geekie is another player giving Tampa Bay something to smile about. He has only one goal, but it mattered - the game-winner against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. He’s also recorded six hits, which adds to the defensive impact he’s bringing early on.
Geekie was already turning heads in the preseason, and now he’s carrying that into the regular season. For the 2019 first-round pick, that matters.
His path to the NHL hasn’t been easy, and the Lightning wanted time in Syracuse to help him sharpen his game. Early returns suggest that plan may be paying off.
It’s still very early, but there’s enough here to think this season could look different.
Brayden Point is doing Brayden Point things, even if the start hasn’t been jaw-dropping by his standards. He has one goal and one assist, and in most seasons that wouldn’t be worth a special mention. But after last season was slowed by injuries and reduced production, the early bounce-back is worth watching.
Point got Tampa Bay on the board quickly in Monday’s win and helped set the tone. He also picked up an assist on Kucherov’s goal against the Rangers. Add in three blocked shots, and there’s another sign that his defensive game is showing up more than it did last season.
He’s been one of the Lightning’s most complete players for years. Point has had four seasons with at least 82 points and four seasons with at least 41 goals.
When he hasn’t hit those numbers, injuries or the pandemic have been part of the story. If he’s healthy again, the Lightning know what that can mean.
Victor Hedman hasn’t touched the scoresheet yet, but that hasn’t stopped him from making an impact. In a reduced role, he’s still been effective, and more importantly, he’s willing to throw his body around and do the work that doesn’t always show up in the box score.
His blocked-shot pace is eye-catching. According to Hockey Reference, Hedman’s 82-game average is 126 blocks per season, and at his current pace he’d be on track for 218. Of course, this is now an 84-game season, but that old benchmark still gives you a sense of just how active he’s been.
The biggest takeaway with Hedman is simple: he’s healthy, he’s playing, and he’s all in. For Tampa Bay, that’s a welcome sight.
In Other News...
Lightning Just Sent A Tough Message About Three Young Prospects
The Lightnings prospect pipeline got a little rougher around the edges this week, with Syracuse Crunch general manager and head coach Joel Bouchard announcing that three young players have been moved down the organization. Forward Milo Roelens, forward Connor Kurth and defenseman Dyllan Gill were all reassigned from Syracuse to the Orlando Solar Bears, a reminder that even in the AHL, development can come with a quick change in scenery.
For Tampa Bay, the move touches three different stages of the system at once. Roelens has been working to keep his momentum going, while Kurth and Gill remain part of the organizations draft stock from the 2022 NHL Draft, still trying to carve out their place in the depth chart. The Solar Bears now become the next stop, and for all three players, the task is the same: use the minutes they can get to force the Lightnings hand a little further down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Face A Tough Roster Call With Dominic James Returning
Dominic James is nearing a return for Tampa Bay after recovering from a broken hand, and his availability could come as soon as Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. It is the kind of boost that tends to ripple through a lineup quickly, especially for a team trying to keep its forward group balanced as the season settles in.
To make room, the Lightning had to make a difficult roster decision and exposed center Jansen Harkins on waivers for reassignment to Syracuse. Harkins dressed for the season opener before a lineup rotation pushed him into the press box, and if he clears he would head to the Crunch with a veteran role in the AHL awaiting him. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Power Play Problems Already Forced An Early Shakeup
Three games into the season, the Lightning are already making adjustments around a power play that has not produced a goal yet. Tampa Bay had Jansen Harkins go on waivers and is expected to send him to Syracuse, a move that opens up some flexibility as the staff reshuffles its special-teams look and searches for a cleaner start with the man advantage.
John Carlson and Charle-Edouard DAstous were on the top power-play unit in practice, a sign the Lightning are willing to experiment early rather than let the drought linger. There is also some defensive personnel movement to monitor, with Calle Lilleberg practicing in a non-contact jersey after getting hurt in the second game of the season, and his return could give Tampa Bay another option once he is back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]