The Tampa Bay Lightning can’t seem to shake the injury bug. They’re set to lose a key addition from this season for the remainder of the season as they try to navigate their plans for the deadline.
Team beat writer Benjamin Pierce reported on Thursday that forward Dominic James would be out eight to 10 weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, forward Gage Goncalves remains day-to-day, while he also deals with a lower-body injury.
James was already on the injured reserve before officially being shut down. He was putting together a respectable rookie season for himself before seeing it come to an early end. In 43 games played, he had seven goals and eight assists for 15 points.
He last played on Feb. 28, in the 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in Tampa. He was coming off back-to-back games with a goal and had three points in his final four games.
In response to losing James, the Lightning have recently recalled one of their top young forwards, Conor Geekie, to fortify the offense. Geekie saw action in the Lightning’s 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday. It was his first game in the NHL since Oct. 18. He had been with the Syracuse Crunch, furthering his development. He has 51 points in 47 games down in the American Hockey League (AHL).
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Meanwhile, Goncalves hasn’t seen action since Feb. 28 as well. He’s had a nice follow-up to his rookie season, slightly improving upon his production. He reached the 20-point mark in six fewer games than during the 2024-25 season.
To add insult to injury (no pun intended), the team is already without Nick Paul once again for the long-term. He’s on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR). He hasn’t played since Feb. 1. He has 12 points in 34 games played.
He recently had a three-point showing against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 25, tallying a goal and two assists. While he’s expected to be back, the Lightning are stuck dealing with more of their newfound depth being plucked away.
What helps is that they’ve gotten some bigger cogs in the machine back recently. Anthony Cirelli made his return to the ice on Saturday after missing nearly all of February. He was injured in the Stadium Series game on Feb. 1, and he had to sit out the Olympics.
Brayden Point returned to action immediately after the Olympic break. Since he’s been back on the ice, he’s picked up six points in four games. While it’s great to have two pivotal offensive pieces healthy, they’ll still need to address the offense ahead of the deadline.
After anemic offensive showings have kept them from advancing past the first round over the past three postseasons, they need to make the necessary moves to prevent another strong regular season from going to waste.
Deadline Buzz Indeed Points to Offensive Help
It’s nothing new. Getting offensive help has been the usual protocol for the Lightning, even during their Cup runs. They were already expected to make this type of addition, but now, it’s going to be in relation to who they’re moving on without (Paul and James).
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman named the type of player the Lightning are likely looking for at the deadline while on NHL Network on Wednesday. The example he used was Philadelphia Flyers forward Bobby Brink. He’s a right shot in his mid-20s who could provide depth for the long term.
Brink has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 54 games played. He, or a player similar to him, would do more than fill the gap left by recent long-term injuries.
If they want to go for a familiar face, Blake Coleman, who was part of the back-to-back Stanley Cups, is expected to be traded before the deadline. That rumor made Tampa a natural landing spot for him. Coming off an injury, Coleman has put up similar numbers to James; he has 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points.
There is another storyline that can be made regarding Coleman and Paul. Coleman was dealt after the second Stanley Cup, and Paul became one of his spiritual successors when he was acquired at the following trade deadline in 2022.
While the idea was fun, don’t hold out hope for a reunion with Steven Stamkos. While there were reports he included Tampa on a list of teams he would greenlight a trade to, he’s since put the kibosh on it. Perhaps that could change as the clock ticks, but that should be more of a pleasant surprise than something to sit by the phone and wait for.
The NHL trade deadline is set for March 6 at 3 pm. The Lightning aren’t a team to sit back and be quiet, so buckle up. Something should develop.
