The Tampa Bay Lightning didn't fold against the upstart Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Not by any stretch. It's being widely heralded as one of the best series of the cap era by fans. It just so happens that Tampa came up short in Game 7 they dominated. There's no shame in losing a series in which every game was decided by a single goal.
It's impossible to ignore the fact that the Lightning have lost in the first round in each of the last four campaigns, however. Running this same group back again in 2026-27 doesn't seem likely. Not for a general manager like Julien BriseBois, who has never shied away from making tough calls and shrewd deals.
Dynasty talk has all but faded into oblivion, and the time is now for the Lightning to be bold. The way that next season is shaping up for other organizations, there may be a handful of opportunities to be just that, as Auston Matthews may be disgruntled enough to force his way out to a better situation. There are some grim reality checks when it comes to the idea of landing the Olympic Gold Medal-winning forward, however.
Auston Matthews Hasn't Looked Like A World Beater For 2 Seasons Now
Matthews, who, when given the chance to quiet offseason chatter about possibly leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs behind, declined to do so. "I can't predict the future" isn't exactly a ringing endorsement, and that comment likely has every GM in the NHL doing their due diligence on the center.
At one point, Matthews was widely considered one of the best players in the sport. His two-way play has earned him Selke Trophy votes in multiple seasons, and his goal-scoring ability was nearly without peer for more than half a decade. From his rookie season through 2024, he averaged a whopping 53.7 goals scored per 82 games played, and notched double-digit power play goals in six consecutive years.
Injuries have hampered the Maple Leafs captain over the last two seasons, though, and Matthews suffered a Grade 3 MCL tear in March that led to questions about the culture in Toronto, as no one defended the downed forward. Not a great look, to say the least. That tear required surgery to fix, and reportedly came with a 12-week recovery timeline.
All this has led to the San Ramon, California native looking remarkably ordinary, by his standards, for two straight seasons now. And it's fair to wonder whether--or how much--he's going to be able to improve as he enters his age-29 season. In general, players don't get quicker and more dominant as they enter their 30's. Weighing those concerns against the possibility of a bounce-back to 40-plus goals for Matthews would be key for the Lightning.
Matthews Wouldn't Wallpaper Over Lightning's Biggest Roster Flaws
Would a line featuring Matthews, Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel be one of the best in the NHL? The odds seem good, but it isn't like the Lightning struggled to score goals in 2025-26. During the regular season, their 3.49 goals scored per game ranked fourth in the league.
BriseBois has a handful of priorities heading into what will likely be a busy offseason, but adding more firepower to the top-six probably isn't one of them. Matthews has a full no-trade clause, and the Lightning would be foolish not to pursue him if the price was right. But Tampa has other major priorities to address.
The bottom-six forward group needs to be more reliable during the regular season, and the defensive group could use an upgrade as well. Tampa's lack of depth on the blue line and at forward were big reasons why they weren't able to hang with the forecheck and speed of the Canadiens in round one. This is an older team, and they looked it in the playoffs.
Would adding an aging Matthews coming off of MCL surgery fix that problem? As fun as it would be, probably not. Given the organization's tight cap situation, BriseBois would likely be looking at moving at least one or two roster pieces to Toronto in any deal, further hampering the depth that is already an issue.
It's a fun pipedream for fans of the Lightning, and anything can happen when creative general managers work together, but it's difficult to see an Auston Matthews trade leading to much of an improvement for Tampa, given his injury history and what the team actively needs to be looking to improve heading into next year.
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