Three Predictions for the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into the 2025-2026 NHL season

Pressure surrounds the Tampa Bay Lightning to perform at their absolute best during the 2025-2026 NHL season. With so much pressure and expectations looming over the Tampa franchise, fans can only guess how their beloved team will perform in the next showing of the NHL regular season.

Here at bolts by the Bay, our mission is to deliver all things Tampa Bay Lightning from the fan’s perspective. What better to do than to predict how the Tampa Bay Lightning will perform next season? Of course, it is all speculation, but all our predictions come from the heart. So sit down, relax, and join us as we give our predictions for the 2025-2026 Tampa Bay Lightning!

The Tampa Bay Lightning will finish the 2025-2026 NHL season with a 50-23-9 record.

Last season as per NHL.com, the Tampa Bay Lightning recorded a 47-27-8 finish. With the roster looking fairly shaken up due to the departure of Steven Stamkos and the trading of Mikhail Sergachev, the new look Tampa Bay Lightning still managed a competitive record. Now, the roster is more seasoned and ready to rumble. New players have a better familiarity with the Lightning system and the team is deeper than it was last season. The forward depth is incredible and Andrei Vasilevskiy still remains a top-tier goaltender in the National Hockey League. The team overall looks better than last year and is set to prove all the doubters wrong. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the Lightning will hopefully once again be in the running for first place in the Atlantic division. 

Brayden point will set a career-high goal total to lead all Tampa Bay Lightning skaters in goals.

Over the last few seasons, Brayden Point has emerged as a premier goal scorer for the Tampa Bay Lightning squad. Point's ability to to score in the slot position has placed him among the ranks of some of the most respected goal scorers in the National Hockey League. His most recent 2024-2025 campaign saw Point score 42 goals as per NHL.com. We dive more into our Brayden Point prediction in our previous article, "Bradyen Point to score like never before next season," by Joseph Lopez. With skaters such as Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov complementing Point at center, Brayden Point is poised for yet again, another monster season in the goal department. 

J.J. Moser will prove he deserves to be in a Lightning sweater.

After a tough introductory season in Tampa Bay, J.J. Moser will break out to be a proven top word defenseman in a Lightning uniform. NHL.com lists Moser‘s first season in Tampa Bay with him scoring 14 points in 54 games. With formalities out of the way and with a better understanding of Tampa hockey, Moser can become fully acclimated to the position he knows best: defense. Under the guidance of Captain Victor Hedman and Head Coach Jon Cooper, Moser is poised for a career-best season. We look into Moser's upcoming season in our past article, "J.J. Moser hoping to really get started with the Lightning," by Joseph Lopez. Do not be surprised to see Moser take the Lightning to the next level this season. Could he be the piece the Lightning defense are desperately missing? Time will tell!

Please remember all predictions made here today are all merely predictions and nothing more. While, of course, all predictions made here today are all speculative, they are made with the hope that the Tampa Bay Lightning succeed next season. Look for the Tampa Bay Lightning to hopefully exceed our predictions in the 2025–2026 season.