Tampa Bay Lightning Looking To Add, Dangling Top Prospect as Trade Chip

The Tampa Bay Lightning are hosting the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday evening. They're also hosting scouts from 10 teams around the NHL, as the Bolts are sniffing around the trade market.

10 teams with scouts/reps on the list here in Tampa for Lightning/Sabres: ANA, CHI, FLA, LA, MTL, NYR, PHI, SJ, STL, WAS
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 4, 2026

The Lightning are looking to add, and GM Julien BriseBois told insider David Pagnotta that if he does make a deal, his priority would be to land a "player that will make us better now and beyond."

How impactful is he hoping a trade addition could be? Pagnotta reports that BriseBois is willing to give up a significant piece to do it.

Don't look now, but the red hot Tampa Bay Lightning are looking to add to their roster, and there is chatter. They may be willing to dangle prospect Sam O'Reilly for some immediate help.

What does elite prospect Sam O'Reilly bring to a team?

The Lightning acquired O'Reilly last year from the Edmonton Oilers for fellow top prospect Isaac Howard. O'Reilly is a 19-year-old two-time OHL champion with the London Knights (now playing with Kitchener).

He has 40 points in 38 games this season split between London and Kitchener, and is known as an intelligent player who has a solid, physical two-way game.

But with a team that seems poised to be a real player out of the East to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, Brisebois does not want to pass up on an opportunity to make his team ever better.

"Most years, we approach it like we are approaching it now," BriseBois said. "There are very few opportunities over the course of a calendar year where you can add talent to your team. There's really two windows that are most conducive to that: There's the period around the draft and the start of free agency in late June/ early July, and there's the period leading up to the trade deadline. That's when some players become available."

And the Lightning do not want to miss out.