Is Jeffrey Viel the right player at the right time for the Lightning?

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on Jul 20, 2026

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — It might have raised some eyebrows when the Tampa Bay Lightning signed journeyman forward Jeffrey Viel to a five-year deal on the opening day of free agency earlier this month.

But the Lightning believe they’ve brought the 29-year-old to Tampa Bay right as he’s starting to show his ability as an NHL regular.

The way Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois explains it, the Lightning needed a player like Viel, someone with “truculence” who can “keep the flies off our star players.”

With the Lightning hemmed up against the salary cap, they haven’t been able to invest in such a player in the past. But this past season, as they transformed their identity into one of a team that’s not going to be pushed around — and in some situations playing the role of the bully — having that kind of physicality is more important than ever.

But the Lightning needed a player who can do more than defend his teammates and fight. They needed someone they can trust in 5-on-5 on both sides of the puck and maybe contribute some supplemental scoring.

They needed someone who can be more than a menace, who can find different ways to make a difference.

They hope Viel can be that type of player, signing him to a five-year deal for a $2.5 million average annual value. Viel has never made more than the league minimum.

“Very grateful for the opportunity,” Viel said. “Getting some stability is huge for me and my family. I think my game’s in a really good spot. I’ve had a pretty good season last year, good playoffs, and just overall, I think my game has been good, and I feel more confident at the NHL level. So definitely in a good spot.”

Things really turned for Viel following the Jan. 16 trade that sent him to Anaheim from Boston for a fourth-round 2026 draft pick. The Ducks were his fourth organization, but for the first time, he received regular minutes. He responded with three goals and seven assists in 35 regular-season games with Anaheim while averaging about 2 1/2 more minutes a game than his career-average 10:01. He averaged nearly three hits a game and fought six times.

But Viel really got to show what he could do in the playoffs. In the Ducks’ first-round series win over Edmonton, he found himself on Anaheim’s matchup line that locked down Oilers star Connor McDavid. And Viel scored two of the biggest goals of the series, both coming late in the third period.

With the series tied at 1 in Game 3, McDavid had just scored a power-play goal to cut Anaheim’s lead to one when Viel pushed the puck up the ice for a 2-on-1. He then circled back after an initial save, took the puck and backhanded a shot to give the Ducks a two-goal lead.

Then, with Edmonton up 3-2 in Game 4, Viel scored the tying goal with 6:29 to play, gathering a loose puck in traffic and sweeping a shot into the back of the net from just outside the crease.

“I think his skill-set is far better than advertised,” said newly-signed Lightning defenseman John Carlson, who played with Viel in Anaheim and was on the ice for both of Viel’s goals against Edmonton. “I think he really came up with some big-time plays out there down the stretch in the playoffs: big goals, big, big assists, big momentum guy, too, whether that’s a fight, a hit or just being nasty around people. He really did it all out there, and I was very happy for him, personally, but now I’m happy to play alongside him again.”

In selecting his next team in free agency, Viel said he wanted to go to a place where he’d be able to continue to show that he can be a difference maker in the postseason.

“I think you can see throughout my career, even my junior career, I think I kind of raised my game in the playoffs,” he said. “So I was definitely looking for a team that is known for having some success and making it to the postseason, so I can contribute that way.”

BriseBois compared the timing of signing Viel to when the Lightning went out and traded for Barclay Goodrow at the 2020 deadline.

“They’re completely different players, completely different circumstances, but I think they are similar in this regard, where I think people hadn’t realized that Barclay Goodrow had taken a step and we got him,” BriseBois said. “And then when he got here, and the spotlights were on him, everyone’s going, ‘Oh, this guy is pretty effective in his role.’ I think Jeffrey did the same thing in the playoffs with Anaheim.”

“He doesn’t have a long track record in the NHL, but he’s been really impressive once he got to Anaheim,” BriseBois added.

If Viel can do what Goodrow was able to so — play a responsible, physical game with some sandpaper — on the Yanni Gourde third line that matched up against top opposing lines and was an anchor to back-to-back Cup-winning teams, the Lightning should be happy with the signing.

“We think he can come here and check for us, forecheck, finish hits, be a physical presence out there, allow our players to play a little more free,” BriseBois said.

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