3 changes Tampa Bay Lightning fans expect before the start of next season

The Tampa Bay Lightning's season ended earlier than most fans expected, and changes will likely happen.

Tampa Bay won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 and then made the Cup Final in 2022 but lost to the Colorado Avalanche. In 2023, the Lightning lost six games to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

After losing in the first round, here are three changes Lightning fans should expect.

#1. Alex Killorn leaves in free agency

Ever since the Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups, fans have gotten used to key players leaving free agency, and this summer should be no different.

Last season, the Lightning lost Ondrej Palat and Ryan McDonagh, among others while the year prior, they lost to Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, and Yanni Gourde.

This summer, Killorn will likely have to sign elsewhere as the Tampa Bay Lightning are up against the cap. Killorn made $4.45 million last season and can likely get more than that by a team this summer. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay needs to re-sign Ross Colton and Tanner Jeannot, and those are priorities over Killorn.

#2. A new backup goaltender and fewer starts for Andrei Vasilevskiy

We are pairing these two things together as the Tampa Bay Lightning has outworked Andrei Vasilevskiy, and it showed in the playoffs.

Vasilevskiy likes to play nearly every game and since the 2019-2020 season, he has started 294 games which is more than any other goaltender. Part of the reason why Vasilevskiy had to play well is due to the fact that their backup goaltenders haven't been the best.

Brian Elliott has been serviceable in the past two seasons, but with him being a free agent, it's time for the Lightning to get a different backup. The Lightning have Hugo Alnefelt in the minors, who could serve as a backup and can start 20-30 games. If they don't think Alnefelt is ready, there are plenty of good backups available in free agency.

#3. Let young players get bottom-six roles

With the Tampa Bay Lightning being a Cup contender for the past four years, they have traded a lot of top prospects and picks, leaving them bare to call up young players to fill out the bottom of the roster on the cheap.

But, with Tampa Bay up against the cap and several key veterans being free agents, this is the year the Lightning need to make changes. It makes sense for Tampa Bay to let Corey Perry, Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare, Alex Killorn, and Ian Cole all walk and call up rookies who would be making less than $1 million.

Some prospects to keep an eye out for are Rudolfs Balcers, Cole Koepke, Gabriel Fortier, Lucas Edmonds, and Gage Conclaves up front and Sean Day, Phillipe Myers, and Jack Thompson on defense.