The Tampa Bay Lightning are the latest team to go under the microscope in THN.com's Hot Seat series. And Bolts GM Julien BriseBois has remade much of his roster, putting more pressure on himself than anyone else to succeed, says Adam Proteau.

The Hockey News’ Hot Seat Radar series continues with this look at the Tampa Bay Lightning. In this team-by-team series, we’re examining every NHL franchise, in reverse alphabetical order, and identifying one player, coach or management member we perceive to be on the “hot seat” – someone who has significant pressure to generate positive results or deal with serious ramifications. In addition, we're also pointing out a second individual on the “cold seat” – a person very likely to stay with their team for the foreseeable future.

On occasion, we’ll focus on an individual who occupies the space between the hot and cold seats, but for most of the league’s teams, we’re looking at their hot and cold seat occupants. We started the hot seat radar process Monday, and in the past week, we’ve focused the spotlight on the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, Utah Hockey Club and Toronto Maple Leafs; Today, it’s the Lightning’s turn under the microscope.

Lightning’s Hot Seat: Julien BriseBois, GM

To be fair, BriseBois has kept the Lightning in a competitive state for well on seven years now. He deserves credit for that, but in the past couple seasons, the air of desperation has been creeping into the organization, most notably, with the abysmal 2022-23 trade that sent a slew of Tampa Bay’s draft picks to Nashville for bottom-six forward Tanner Jeannot. 

This summer, BriseBois made even bigger changes to the team, allowing captain and star winger Steven Stamkos to depart to the Predators via free agency, then sending star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah, and finally, signing star winger Jake Guentzel to a lucrative contract extension.

Consequently, this Bolts team will be significantly different than the one fans have been accustomed to seeing. The bottom line for the Lightning is that their roster can still be a playoff team, but in the competitive Atlantic Division, they’re more likely to be a fringe playoff team than a top-level favorite to win the division and possibly the Cup. And if they really aren’t good enough to compete with the big boys in their division, BriseBois will be under intense pressure to answer for it.

BriseBois is a proven winner, but as we’ve seen in most teams’ competitive cycles, it’s especially difficult to continually stay ahead of other teams in the fight to be a winning squad, and someone in management has to pay for that reality. The clock is ticking for this core of Lightning talent, and BriseBois has to figure out a way to keep his team thriving. If he can’t do that, it could be time for a change at the top of Tampa’s power pyramid.

Lightning’s Cold Seat: Victor Hedman, D

Heading into this off-season, there was some concern about Hedman’s future in Tampa as he had just one more season left on his contract. But any fears to that end were laid to rest when the 33-year-old defenseman agreed to a four-year, $32-million extension that should keep him in a Tampa Bay jersey until he retires.

Hedman may no longer be a Norris Trophy front-runner at this point in his NHL career, but he’s still the best blueliner Tampa Bay has, and he’d be the best D-man on more than a few NHL teams. He’s earned the right to be a lifetime member of the Lightning, and even if his minutes have to be more delicately handled by veteran coach Jon Cooper, Hedman will be central to any Stanley Cup aspirations the franchise has.

After a sub-par performance in 2022-23, Hedman stormed back to generate 63 assists and 76 points in 78 games – his best totals in those departments since the 2021-22 campaign, and the second-best overall point total of his 15-year NHL career. He’s likely to be just as effective in 2024-25, and after the Lightning traded workhorse D-man Sergachev, Tampa Bay will be relying on Hedman to help lead the way to regular-season and playoff success.