Brayden Point carries a revamped focus this offseason.
The Tampa Bay Lightning forward endured a tumultuous 2025-26 season, working through injuries and an up-and-down stat line over his 10th NHL campaign.
After scoring at least 40 goals in three straight seasons, that number dipped to 18 scores this year, equaling the number of goals he posted during his rookie season in 2016-17.
Point didn’t make any excuses last week when he addressed local media for the final time this season. He holds a higher standard for himself, one he aims to return to next season.
“You can learn from it. I've definitely learned some things in my game that I need to get better at. Now it’s about putting in the work, and this summer's gonna be a great opportunity for me to work on those things that I identified,” Point said. “Sometimes the way you played in the past doesn't always work when you get older, and the game kind of changes, so now it's about just putting in the work so you can produce at a level that is going to help the team win.”
Some of those details include finding space to shoot the puck, particularly in tight spaces. Point said he aims to “increase the scoring zone” for himself.
Part of the story behind Point’s down year included injuries. The 30-year-old forward missed 19 games this season. That included 11 due to a lower-body injury suffered during a Jan. 12 game in Philadelphia, which also caused his absence from the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
He was back in time for the postseason.
“Especially in a series that's so tight, a couple of goals would’ve went a long way. A lot of that’s on me,” Point said. “You’ve gotta find a way to produce and need guys from all lines to score in the playoffs, and again I wasn't a part of that. It's tough, but you’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and see why, and you’ve got to work on those things in the summer now to hopefully not let it happen again.”
Point aims to return next season ready to contribute at the level fans have grown accustomed to—the forward had 82 points in 2024-25 after posting a pair of back-to-back 90-point campaigns the seasons prior.
Point was set to be an Olympian. He is one of the world’s best players; best goalscorers. He remains on a team that believes its contention window is nowhere near closed.
“I think there should be a lot of confidence. I think we had a great regular season, 106 points, and then played a really good Montreal team and it came down to Game 7,” Point said. "And I thought we played a really good Game 7. I think that game could have went either way, and if we win that one, who knows how the rest of the playoffs go.”
Lightning Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois feels the same way, and Point is a key reason why. After Point scored one goal over 18 games from October to early December, he reminded the league why he’s one of the top scorers at his best.
From Dec. 9 to March 24, Point scored 14 goals and 35 points in 30 games.
“That's a pace of 38 goals and 96 points. We'll take that all day long…Over 30 games, he's playing amazing. And then for whatever reason, it just stopped going in for him. He's another player, the other team is focusing on him. They're trying to shut him down,” BriseBois said.
“Just like a team's gonna have ebbs and flows within the course of a season, over the course of multiple seasons, players are gonna have ebbs and flows over the course of a season, over the course of multiple seasons. I have every reason to think he’s going to bounce back. Look at his metrics—his burst is still there. He's fast, he's ambitious, he's driven, he's competitive. He’s still young. I expect him to have a really good season and be a key contributor for us going forward.”
