1 player the Lightning must acquire before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline

The Tampa Bay Lightning are in Eastern Conference Playoffs at the halfway point of the season. Their streak of three straight conference titles has ended, but they are still Stanley Cup contenders. The NHL trade deadline is less than two months old and the Lightning have an obvious need. They need to call up the Sharks and agree a deal for defender Mario Ferraro at the deadline.

The Lightning made a lot of moves in their competitive window to save cap space. The big one came this summer when they traded Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club. Although he was the top two defensive player in Tampa and Utah, this move was necessary for the cap. But now they should replace him with Ferrara at the trade deadline.

Ferraro is one of many players the Sharks want to tradeincluding defenders Cody Ceci and Jan Rutta. But the 26-year-old Ferraro has one more year of control and a reasonable $3.25 million cap hit. That means the Lightning would have to pay for the defenseman, but they’ve shown they will in the past.

Theirs passes for Brandon Hagel and Tanner Jeannot worked to varying degrees but both were similar to the Ferrara deal. They were players the Lightning loved, they had control over the team and they paid to get them. If they like Ferraro, they will pay whatever it is. But after the Jeannot disaster, they might stop sending more than the first choice.

The Lightning have a hole on defense and are in a great division that will provide a tough matchup in the first round. That makes a big deal at the deadline more likely and Ferraro would make sense.

Where else could the Lightning look at the NHL trade deadline?

The Sharks will be one of the few sellers at the upcoming NHL trade deadline. Because of the soft Eastern Conference, many teams are still in contention despite poor starts to the season. Even if the New York Islanders or Philly Flyers decide to sell, they don’t have powerhouse defensemen to move. The Lightning could pay less to get Ceci or Rutta out of San Jose.

The Buffalo Sabers are the only team in the Eastern Conference guaranteed to be sold at the deadline. Anri Jokiharju is 25 years old and an unrestricted free agent. He could be on the move for a decent package at the deadline. They probably won’t change Bon Bajram although he is RFA pending, but Lightning could land veteran Connor Clifton.

Another veteran tenured defenseman the Lightning should add is Jamie Oleksiak of the Seattle Kraken. He is 32 years old and has $4.6 million in cap space. If Seattle retains salary under that contract, it could get a big return from a team looking for a defenseman. Tampa will be in it if it’s on the block. But given their aspirations for next year, there’s no guarantee the Kraken will trade Oleksiak.

The Lightning should make a move for a defenseman, and their top target should be Mario Ferraro. He’s the young brick they need to build the back end of their blue line. The trade may cost a first-round pick, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a team trying to stay in its competitive prime.