New Additions: F Pontus Holmberg (2yr x $1.55M AAV), F Boris Katchouk (1yr x $775k), F Jakob Pelletier (3yr x $841.6k AAV), F Sam O’Reilly (from EDM), F Scott Sabourin (1yr x $775k), G Phoenix Copley (from LAK)

Subtractions: F Isaac Howard (to EDM), D Nick Perbix (to NSH), F Cam Atkinson (FA), F Luke Glendening (FA)

Retentions/Extensions: F Yanni Gourde (6yr $2.33M AAV), F Gage Goncalves (2yr x $1.2M AAV)

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been one of the best teams in the NHL over the last decade, including four appearances in the Stanley Cup Final, winning two championships. Since their last appearance in 2022, they have lost in the first round in three consecutive seasons, the last two years at the hands of their in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers. Having not made a deep run in the playoffs for a few seasons, and the fact that another Florida based club is now the team to beat, it feels as though people have forgotten how good this Tampa team is.

Leading the way is superstar forward Nikita Kucherov, who has become an all time great in front of our eyes. It is well known how good of a player he is in the league today, but I feel like people do not realize that he is building the resume of a potential top fifteen player of all time. To go along with his two Stanley Cups, Kuch is a 1x Hart Trophy Winner, 2x Ted Lindsay Award Winner, and a THREE TIME Art Ross Trophy Winner. Doing this all while guys like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon are in the middle of their primes. So much noise was made of McDavid getting 100 assists in a single season in 2023-24, as he was only the fourth player in league history to do so, and the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1990-91. In the very same year, Kucherov became the fifth player in league history to do so. He may not get the recognition that the other superstars in the league do, but he is just as good, make no mistake.

It was an unfortunate situation last offseason, when longtime captain Steven Stamkos was not re-signed, and left Tampa Bay for Nashville. I think the team missed his leadership more than his on ice play last season, as in the midst of his departure, the team made room for a new arrival, Jake Guentzel. Not only was he four years younger than Stammer, but at that point in their careers, was the better player. He finished as a point per game player in his first season with the team, with 80 points in as many games, 41 of which were goals. That goal total was good enough for second on the team, as another player had 42, and it wasn’t Kucherov. Brayden Point led the team in goals, and has now had 40+ in three straight seasons. Point, Kuch and Guentzel are often on a line together, forming the most lethal scoring line in the entire league. Those three were a big reason why the Lightning were the number one scoring team last season with 3.56 goals per game.

Perhaps the biggest reason though, was the incredible season from Brandon Hagel, who had 90 points, 72 even strength points, 7 shorthanded points, and only 11 points on the powerplay. Being able to have depth scoring at that rate from him was huge, and he looks to build on his career year and continue to establish himself as an elite forward. His $6.5M cap hit through 2032 is one of the biggest bargains in the league. The rest of the forward group includes one of the top defensive centers in the league, Anthony Cirelli, and depth scorer Nick Paul. Also, two big deadline additions from last season are still on the roster, the team brought back Yanni Gourde from Seattle, and he came with Oliver Bjorkstrand, who has scored 20 goals in 6 of the last 7 seasons (the only year where he did not was the shortened 2020-21 season). Former 11th overall pick Conor Geekie hopes to play in the league full time, and the team hopes he does too, as he was the main piece coming back in the Sergachev trade. Depth scoring should not be a weakness of this team.

Andrei Vasilevskiy had his worst statistical year in 2023-24, and while some saw him as a bounce back candidate last season, others had their doubts and did not think he would return to elite form. But he was indeed elite last year, with 38 wins, a .921 SV%, and a career best 2.16 GAA. If it was not for the Hart winning season had by Connor Hellebuyck, Vas would have won the Vezina for the second time in his career. He did a lot more than just bounce back, and is back to being considered one of the league’s top netminders.

Victor Hedman, at age 34 is still one of the best defencemen in the NHL. The team trading Sergachev last offseason was an indicator that the Lightning are more than okay with Hedman being their number one defenceman for the short to medium term. Last season he recorded 66 points in 79 games, and had 15 goals from the point, marking the tenth time the Swedish defenceman has scored double digit goals. No one poses a threat to his number one status, or powerplay minutes. 

The rest of the D corps is actually quite solid. Veteran Ryan McDonagh was brought back to Tampa Bay last offseason and he picked up right where he left off, occupying a top four role and playing heavy minutes. Darren Raddysh has quietly become a solid secondary defenceman, at age 27 he had only 21 games of NHL experience, but has been a full timer over the last two years, putting up 33 points and 37 points in those years. Erik Cernak is a dominating force at 6’4”, 230. Emil Lilleberg adds some more sandpaper to the unit, as the 24 year old Norwegian had 105 penalty minutes last season, stepping up to drop the gloves to defend his teammates. J.J. Moser was limited to 54 games in his first season as a member of the Lightning. He is hoping to be healthy this season and show what he brings to the table. 

Overall, the Lightning are still one of the best teams in the NHL, as long as they have Kuch, Hedman, and Vas, they will still be a more than relevant team. With three straight first round exits, it is clear that this is no longer the feared team they once were. However, I have liked the moves that they have made in the past year, and with more and more time together, this group could get back to the levels of past Tampa Bay teams. This team is essentially a lock for the postseason, and it would not surprise me if they were able to go on another deep playoff run.