With the 2024-25 Tampa Bay Lightning season officially in the rearview mirror, members of the team partook in exit interviews on Friday at AMALIE Arena.
Multiple players spoke, as did general manager Julien BriseBois and Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, touching on everything from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the season as a whole, the offseason approach and building for the future.
BriseBois said he is proud of this year’s team and expects the future to bring more strong results.
"I think in our business it's important for us to be ambitious with our goals but also realistic with our expectations. We are striving and trying to win the Stanley Cup every year here, and I foresee that being the case for many years to come. But the reality is that even with having a great hockey team, even with having a legitimate Stanley Cup contending team year in, year out, most seasons will end in disappointment,” BriseBois said.
“I really enjoyed this season's team. I really enjoyed how they played. I enjoyed how they competed. Almost everyone's under contract and coming back, we have some young players now that are pushing to play a bigger role on the team, and the future is bright for our organization.”
Here are five takeaways from Friday's exit interviews:
- Lightning felt growth in 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup against Florida
Multiple members of the Lightning locker room on Friday said they felt this year’s playoff matchup with the Panthers was a tighter series than in 2024.
Cooper said this year’s team was close, and he liked most of their playoff performance.
"Whether it was getting the timely goal or having an opportunity to get the timely goal, it didn't happen for us,” Cooper said. “When you advance, those things happen, and it wasn't for lack of effort. For whatever reason it wasn't our time this year, and that's what's tough…this was a special group, and to go out in five games was something I don't think any of us imagined, expected, but it happens.”
His captain agreed.
“I think this series felt different than last year, felt a lot closer,” Victor Hedman said. “Obviously you look at Game 2, 1-0 game. Game 3 we win, Game 4 we’re still in disbelief over that one. But at the end of the day they're winners as well and kind of feel like we felt five years ago or four years ago. They find ways to win. That's what good teams do.”
While defenseman Ryan McDonagh wasn’t part of last year’s matchup, he said this year’s series felt pretty even.
"In our minds it was closer than a five-game series,” McDonagh said. “There’s certainly things you wish you did better, and a lot of things you liked, too. ...That's the nature of playoffs. It’s close, it's tight, and you need high execution from from everybody in your lineup at different points. Ultimately, we came up short.”
2. Coaches expected to return
BriseBois confirmed on Friday that he expects Cooper to lead the Lightning next season and beyond.
“I am appreciative and grateful for our partnership,” BriseBois said, “and I expect it to go on for many years to come regardless of how many years he's got left on his contract. When this contract ends, my expectation is he's gonna sign another one and he's gonna be here for awhile."
Cooper is the NHL’s longest tenured head coach since being hired in March 2013. He is 39 games shy of coaching 1,000 in the NHL, all with Tampa Bay.
Cooper is in line next season to become the fifth coach in NHL history to reach the 1,000-game mark with a single franchise.
“Tampa’s been my home,” Cooper said. “For my kids it’s the only city they really remember...For me, it’s hard to see myself being anywhere else.”
BriseBois added that he expects the rest of the current coaching staff to return unless they are offered a head coaching opportunity with another franchise.
3. ‘Warrior’ mentality wasn’t just a phrase
Every NHL team expects to face adversity and injuries when it comes time for postseason hockey, and the Lightning were no exception this spring.
BriseBois on Friday rattled through a long list of afflictions that affected the Lightning this spring:
- Nikita Kucherov, left hand extensor injury, Feb. 25
- Oliver Bjorkstrand, acute compartment syndrome, April 11
- Luke Glendening, right shoulder AC joint separation, April 9
- Anthony Cirelli, grade 2 MCL sprain, Game 1
- Yanni Gourde broken finger, Game 1
- Brandon Hagel, concussion, Game 4
- Victor Hedman, foot fracture, Game 4
- Nick Paul, left wrist tear
"They all add up. But that being said, I am convinced Florida has a bunch of injuries too,” BriseBois said.
“Their guys are playing through stuff, some is somewhat apparent I think watching them play. That's part of what you have to overcome to win a championship. It's not an excuse for not winning that series. It's just part of what you need to be able to overcome.”
Each player is expected to make a full recovery for next season.
4. Right back to work for Kucherov
After winning the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer in 2024-25 with a 121-point season and recently being named a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov won’t take much time off this summer.
The 31-year-old winger’s work ethic is a well-known trait, and it was a point of discussion again on Friday.
Kucherov plans to take about a week away from hockey to spend time with his family. Then it will be right back to work.
Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli both joined Kucherov for some offseason skill work last season.
"I'm happy guys are willing to come earlier and put work in because we have free ice, free gym, I mean everything you want,” Kucherov said. “The trainer's here. You want treatment, it's here. So I think it's the best place to really put everything aside and just focus on your game, your skill, and what you've got to be better at.
Kucherov said the team put in the effort this season, but they have higher goals for 2025-26.
“We just want to make sure we come back stronger and more experienced,” Kucherov said, “and eliminate the mistakes we made this year and the previous year and learn from that and move forward.”
5. Hedman a natural in leading the charge
Sometimes the best way to lead is by example.
Hedman did just that in his first season as captain—he played Games 3 and 4 on a broken foot and walked into his press conference on Friday in a walking boot.
“To be a captain in the NHL, it’s a lifelong dream that you have,” Hedman said. “To be able to wear it with this team, with this organization, representing this city means the world to me.”
His teammates said he was a strong leader in year one with the ‘C’ on his jersey, just as he has been for many seasons prior.
Just ask McDonagh, a former NHL captain who is also part of the team’s leadership core.
“I think he was same old Heddy for me as far as being the leader he was even before he was the captain,” McDonagh said. “He's been here his whole career. He knows this organization, the city, better than anybody, and he loves playing here. You can see that in the way he carries himself on the ice, prepares so hard and wants to win so much for the guys next to him and the city and this fanbase. He should be really proud of the way he stepped up and was the captain this year, and he's going to be expected to do the same right away next year.”
