Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois confirmed on Saturday that pending unrestricted free agents Nick Perbix, Cam Atkinson, and Luke Glendening are set to hit the market on Tuesday.

Tampa Bay’s only remaining arbitration-eligible restricted free agent is forward Gage Goncalves.

The Lightning were impressed with Goncalves at the end of the season, especially with how he performed in the playoffs. It's unlikely he'll be leaving Tampa Bay.

The team would have had to submit a qualifying offer by Monday, June 30. Goncalves could then choose to file for an arbitration hearing by July 5, although it doesn’t sound like that’s the direction this is going in. 

"I expect things to be quiet"

Last year, the Bolts made headlines at the 2024 NHL draft by trading longtime defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to Utah in exchange for J.J. Moser and Conor Geekie. The deal moved the team in a new direction and also cleared necessary cap space that was later used to acquire forward Jake Guentzel at free agency.

BriseBois does not to expect the same level of movement this year. He’s stated a number of times that he likes the team he has. 

“We're going to be on the lookout, but right now I want to manage expectations. I don't expect anything, to be honest, certainly nothing major,” BriseBois said after the draft. “Last year we had a really big offseason to kind of set a new course thrust us in a more upward direction in terms of climbing toward another championship. You're not able to do that every year, so I expect things to be quiet.”

The Lightning will have around $5.5M in projected cap space available heading into free agency tomorrow. Signing Goncalves will reduce that amount, meaning any moves BriseBois makes will be minor or involve trading a current roster player to create additional space. 

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