3 Tampa Bay Lightning Not Expected Back Next Season

The Tampa Bay Lightning were eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series. It's unchartered territory for both teams as the Leafs haven't advanced in 19 years, meanwhile the Lightning have been to three straight Cup finals.

Look for the Lightning to undergo some changes this summer and don't expect to see these three players back in 2023-24:

Ross Colton

Due to the salary cap and the timing of Ross Colton hitting restricted free agency, look for the Lightning to have to move the versatile forward. The 26-year-old recorded 32 points in 81 games in 2022-23, and another four points during the first-round of the playoffs. Colton has already been linked to the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets by some of the biggest insiders in the business.

Corey Perry

This could be the end for the pesky forward as 37-year-old Corey Perry will be an unrestricted free agent. Yes, retirement could creep it's ugly face into Perry's situation as his role got smaller and smaller with the Lightning and his skating ability has diminished throughout the past few seasons. We'd be very surprised to see Perry play during the 2023-24 season.

Brian Elliott

Another aging veteran, don't expect to see goaltender Brian Elliott return to the Lightning. The 38-year-old was a solid backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy this season, however expect to see the team go with a younger option and someone who can push for more minutes to help lower the workload for the world class Vasilevskiy. The Lightning's starter wasn't himself throughout all of the first round against Toronto and it could be due to his heavy workload these past few seasons.