{"id":129067,"date":"2026-01-23T12:12:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/129067\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T12:12:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:12:25","slug":"a-quick-look-at-some-potential-trade-targets-for-the-tampa-bay-lightning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/129067\/","title":{"rendered":"A quick look at some potential trade targets for the Tampa Bay Lightning"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first trade deadline is right around the corner as the Olympic break roster freeze is set for February 4th. Will the Lightning make a move before this deadline? Honestly, who knows? As usual, the Lightning are playing things close to the vest and there is no news leaking out of the Channelside offices. General Manager Julien BriseBois was as vague as usual during his mid-season check-in<\/a>, downplaying the Lightning\u2019s chances of being a big player on the trade market.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo even if we\u2019re perfectly healthy, and we assign guys back down to the minors, we only have two weeks to accrue cap space [until the March 6 trade deadline]. That\u2019s not enough to do anything,\u201d BriseBois said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, as is usually the case, cap space is going to be a challenge, but we\u2019ll see. We\u2019re always on the lookout for ways to improve our team. And just as in years past, we\u2019re not only focused on this year, we\u2019re focused on future years as well. So if we can do something that increases our odds of winning the cup either this year or down the road, obviously we\u2019re going to be excited to do that if we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Julien BriseBois, January 8, 2026<\/p>\n

Now, seasoned Lightning fans know that there has never been a season during Julien BriseBois\u2019 reign where he has gone out and said, \u201cwe\u2019re going buck wild on trades this year, folks!\u201d He usually cries poor (or cap-strapped) and then pulls off some deal that involves 75 draft picks and a c-level prospect for a pending RFA that fits a hole in the line-up. Lather, rinse, repeat.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go into this trade season with the assumption he is going to make a deal, and that it\u2019s going to fit his standard practice of being someone that helps the Lightning this season as well as in the future. That usually means a player with at least another season under contract, a player that is a restricted free agent in the summer, or someone in the price range where the Lightning could conceivably re-sign them before free agency. <\/p>\n

What are the Lightning\u2019s needs at this point in the season outside of medical tape and knee braces? The overwhelming sense is that he would like to bring someone in that can help with the face-offs, especially on the right side, and with penalty kills. They have enough players to fill their top-six, the offense is fine (3.50 GF\/GP), and the power play seems to be finding its legs after a slow start to the season (24.7% since December 1).<\/p>\n

With their injured veterans set to come back soon, the defense should be set, and might even be a spot where they can trade from to free up some cap and roster space. Could they pick up a veteran defender for depth, especially if some of these injuries linger on or pop back up. Also, considering they are sending a bevy of players to the Olympics, there is a chance someone gets hurt in that tournament. <\/p>\n

So, the parameters we are looking at today would be right-handed centers\/forward that are adept in the circle. While the Eastern Conference is still a mess, especially atop the Atlantic Division, there is some separation starting to happen with the bottom teams. The same goes for the West, where Vancouver and Calgary have already announced themselves as sellers. <\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s look at six players that could be on the trade block that might interest Mr. BriseBois.<\/p>\n

The Veteran Rentals<\/p>\n

Noel Acciari \u2013 Pittsburgh \u2013 34-years-old, $2,000,000 UFA, 55.3%, Modified 8 team No Trade Clause<\/p>\n

The Penguins are currently sitting in the second spot in the Metropolitan Division thanks to a 6-2-2 run of late. They\u2019ve been active in some trades already, notably sending Tristan Jarry to Edmonton. If they start to fade over the next couple of weeks, Acciari could be on the block. The right-handed center has been part of the trade deadline fun before as he was part of a big three-team trade between St. Louis, Minnesota, and Toronto.<\/p>\n

Based on his performance this season, he would be exactly what Mr. BriseBois is looking for. He\u2019s at 55.3% in the dot this season with the bulk of his draws coming in the defensive zone (223 of his 291 draws have come in his own zone). He isn\u2019t going to chip in a lot of offense (4 goals, 7 assists), but the Penguins have been a better defensive team when he\u2019s on the ice and he can help kill some penalties.<\/p>\n

Michael McCarron \u2013 30-years-old, $900,000 UFA, 53.9%<\/p>\n

The Predators are outside of the playoffs as of right now, but are only three points back of the second Wild Card spot. Do they have the talent to make a run and claim that spot? Probably not, and a player like McCarron could net them a mid-round pick or two. <\/p>\n

He would fit in with the Lightning\u2019s focus on truculence this season as he\u2019s leading the Predators in penalty minutes and hits. Like Accari, the bulk of his face-offs (380 out of 666) have come in the defensive zone and he\u2019s winning 56.6% of those draws. <\/p>\n

When he isn\u2019t in the penalty box, he\u2019s one of the Predators most used short-handed forwards and while he hasn\u2019t been anything special, Nashville has been about even when he\u2019s on the ice. Again, he\u2019s not going to produce a lot of offense, but that\u2019s not why the Lightning are going to go after him.<\/p>\n

The JBB Special<\/p>\n

Cody Glass \u2013 \u2013 26-years-old, $2,500,000 through 2026-27, 52.7%<\/p>\n

For a 26-year-old, Cody Glass has made the rounds in the NHL. He\u2019s played for Vegas, Nashville, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey in his seven-year career as a bottom-six forward. Through 291 games he\u2019s posted 46 goals and 62 assists, which is solid if not spectacular. <\/p>\n

With New Jersey spiraling a bit in the standings, they could be open to moving him if the deal is right. Mr. BriseBois likes picking up players that have term, and having Glass under contract for another season after this one would be appealing to the Lightning general manager. <\/p>\n

Along with his 52.7% face-off percentage, Glass would provide a little more offense than Acciari or McCarren, but hasn\u2019t been a penalty killer for the Devils this season. He does have the ability to move up and down in the line-up, filling a middle-six role for New Jersey this season. His face-offs have been a little more spread out than some of the other folks on the list, but he has been crushing it in his own zone, winning 60% of his draws.<\/p>\n

With his offensive production and affordable contract with term, Mr. BriseBois would have to get a little more creative with his offer, but Glass could be a solid fit for this team. <\/p>\n

Sam Carrick \u2013 33-years-old, $1,000,000 through 2026-27, 54.2%<\/p>\n

First off, Sam Carrick has been in the league for 10 seasons? We are getting old. With the Rangers blowing up their roster once again, plenty of teams will be calling about the veteran center that is the definition of a bottom-six center. He wins face-offs and plays defense. He is basically Luke Glendening 2.0.<\/p>\n

Again, there isn\u2019t going to be a lot of offense coming from him, but he would give Coach Cooper a reliable center for defensive draws. With a $1 million cap hit, the Lightning can fit him in on the roster without too much juggling around. <\/p>\n

They can\u2019t afford that, can they?<\/p>\n

Dylan Cozens \u2013 24-years-old, $7,100,000 through 2029-30, 54.1%, Modified No Trade kicks in for the 2027-28 season<\/p>\n

Why would the Senators trade a 24-year-old center that they just extended this summer and seems to be a key piece of their future teams? Who knows, but they are the Senators, so anything could happen. This move would likely cost the Lightning a first-round pick, one of their top prospects, and other pieces, but it would also give them a youngish, top-six forward under contract for several seasons. <\/p>\n

Do you need Conor Geekie if you have Cozens for the next seven years? After a couple of rough seasons, Cozens is back to looking like the forward that can score 30 goals while playing solid defense. He has been a bit of a power play merchant this season with 9 of his 15 goals and 12 of his 22 assists coming with the extra skater. For a team that is lacking right-hand shot options on the power play (and assuming Oliver Bjorkstrand would be a piece heading back to Ottawa) that could be enticing for Mr. BriseBois. <\/p>\n

Unlike the other players we\u2019ve written about so far, the bulk of his face-offs have come in the offensive zone. On the power play he\u2019s posting a 59.4% winning percentage. For a possession-based team like the Lightning, that would be a big advantage and allow them to get into their set plays a lot easier. <\/p>\n

His even-strength offense hasn\u2019t been spectacular, but defensively he\u2019s been really good this season with the Senators posting a 2.11 xGA\/60 when he\u2019s on the ice. Again, it\u2019s not the greatest fit for what the Lightning need, but he would make them a better defensive team.<\/p>\n

Vincent Trocheck \u2013 32-years-old, $5,625,000 through 2028-29, 56.3%, Modified 12-team No Trade Clause<\/p>\n

Someone is probably trading for Vincent Trocheck over the next couple of weeks. If that team is able to absorb the entire cap hit, the price they pay for him probably isn\u2019t going to be too high. The length of the deal is one huge red flag, especially for a team like the Lightning that already skews a little older.<\/p>\n

Still, there are some positives. He\u2019s a 20-goal machine, having hit that plateau four years in a row. He plays hard (118 hits on the season already) and can win face-offs. Trocheck can kill penalties and help a power play, but the defensive metrics have not been kind this season. <\/p>\n

Could that change in a reduced role with the Lightning? He wouldn\u2019t be playing the 20 minutes a night he has been playing in New York, and the surrounding cast is better. It just doesn\u2019t feel like a move Mr. BriseBois would make unless the Bolts are down a top-six forward for the entire season. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first trade deadline is right around the corner as the Olympic break roster freeze is set for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":129068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-129067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}