The Tampa Bay Lightning are set to make seven selections at the 2026 NHL Draft, taking place Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Round 1 will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 26. Rounds 2-7 will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 27. ESPN and ESPN+ will provide live coverage of Round 1 on Friday in the U.S., while NHL Network and ESPN+ will air Rounds 2-7 on Saturday.
The first 16 selections were determined by the NHL Draft Lottery, which was held on May 5. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the lottery and will select first overall, while the San Jose Sharks will pick second. The Lightning traded their 2026 first-round pick (No. 25 overall) to Seattle at last year’s trade deadline in the deal for Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. On Sunday, that same pick was sent to Florida and then Ottawa in the trade that brought Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers.
Current Lightning Selections
Round 2 – 58th overall
Round 3 – 90th overall
Round 5 – 133rd overall (from Toronto)
Round 5 – 134th overall (from Seattle)
Round 5 – 154th overall
Round 6 – 186th overall
Round 7 – 218th overall
Once the draft concludes, attention quickly shifts to NHL free agency, which opens on July 1 at 12 p.m. ET, when unrestricted free agents (UFAs) are free to sign with any team across the league. After trading defenseman Darren Raddysh to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade deal, the Lightning head into free agency with just two right-shot defensemen on the roster and an offensive hole to fill.
With the salary cap increasing to $104 million for the 2026-27 season, an $8.5 million jump from last year, teams around the league have already started making moves ahead of what could be an active free-agent market.
