Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning have officially announced their opening night roster for the 2025-26 season. The roster, presented by AdventHealth, features a blend of familiar faces and promising new additions as the team looks to make a deep playoff run after failing to advance past the first round in recent years.
The Lightning will start the season with 13 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 3 goaltenders. However, three forwards, Zemgus Girgensons, Niko Huuhtanen, and Nick Paul, will be unavailable at the start of the season due to injuries.
Forwards:
The Lightning's forward group boasts considerable talent, including established stars and exciting newcomers. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, are expected to lead the offensive charge. Jake Guentzel, acquired last season, will also be a key contributor. Other forwards on the roster include Oliver Bjorkstrand, Mitchell Chaffee, Anthony Cirelli, Curtis Douglas, Jack Finley, Conor Geekie, Gage Goncalves, Yanni Gourde, Brandon Hagel, and Pontus Holmberg. Curtis Douglas and Pontus Holmberg are among the new faces aiming to provide depth to the bottom six.
Defensemen:
The defensive unit remains largely unchanged from last season, providing consistency and familiarity. Veteran leader Victor Hedman anchors the blue line, supported by Erik Cernak, Ryan McDonagh, and J.J. Moser. Emil Lilleberg and Darren Raddysh are also included. Max Crozier cracked the roster to start the season.
Goaltenders:
Andrei Vasilevskiy remains the team's undisputed starting goaltender. Jonas Johansson will serve as the primary backup. The Lightning also claimed Pheonix Copley off waivers to add depth and potentially provide Vasilevskiy with additional rest throughout the season.
Roster Moves and Injured Players:
In addition to announcing the opening night roster, Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois announced that several players have been assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL). These players include forwards Dylan Duke, Dominic James, Boris Katchouk, Scott Sabourin, and Wojciech Stachowiak, along with defensemen Declan Carlile, Charle-Edouard D'Astous, and Roman Schmidt.
Zemgus Girgensons, Niko Huuhtanen, and Nick Paul will begin the season on injured reserve. Nick Paul is expected to miss at least the first month of the season.
Opening Night Matchup:
The Tampa Bay Lightning will open the 2025-26 season at home on Thursday, October 9, against the Ottawa Senators at the newly named Benchmark International Arena.
