The Lightning brought in three players from outside of the organization prior to this season:
- Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens for Jonathan Drouin on June 15th.
- Defenseman Dan Girardi, previously with the New York Rangers, signed as a free agent on July 1st.
- Left wing Chris Kunitz, previously with the Pittsburgh Penguins, signed as a free agent also on July 1st.
All three came to the team with some reservations from at least some of the fans.