NHL Season Preview 2016-17: Tampa Bay Lightning

After re-signing some key pieces, will the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2016-17?

The Tampa Bay Lightning are coming off an impressive playoff run. They were the only team in the playoffs to take the Pittsburgh Penguins to seven games, losing to them in the Eastern Conference Finals. After re-signing their captain and their best defenseman, the Lightning are clearly pushing all their chips in to the center of the table.

Tampa Bay has come up short in each of the past two postseasons. Do they have what it takes to win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history this season? Will their aggressive spending be justified by another title?

Offseason Review

Here’s a quick review of what the Tampa Bay Lightning have done this offseason.

Added: C/F Cory Conacher (overseas)

Lost: D Matt Carle (Predators), F Jonathan Marchessault (Panthers), F Mike Blunden (Senators), D Anthony DeAngelo (Coyotes)

Retained: C Steven Stamkos, D Victor Hedman*, F Alex Killorn, G Andrei Vasilevskiy*, C/F Vladislav Namestnikov, F J.T. Brown, C Cedric Paquette

Pending: F Nikita Kucherov

*Contract will not begin until after 2016-17 season

The Lightning have not yet agreed to terms with leading scorer Nikita Kucherov. However, the restricted free agent will most likely re-sign with the Lightning. It probably won’t be the long-term deal that Kucherov was hoping for, though.

Cory Conacher is a familiar face, spending 35 games with the Lightning during the 2012-13 season. Traded for Ben Bishop, Conacher has spent time with the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Islanders. He will serve as a depth forward, most likely starting in the AHL.

None of the Lightning’s offseason losses have been significant. Matt Carle can be fairly easily replaced as the team’s seventh defenseman. Jonathan Marchessault and Mike Blunden were good depth forwards, but the Lightning have enough forward depth as is. Anthony DeAngelo wasn’t a fit with the Lightning and had off the ice issues.

Steven Stamkos quietly re-signed with the Lightning just after P.K. Subban and Shea Weber got traded for each other and Taylor Hall got traded to the New Jersey Devils. Keeping him is huge and it pries open their Stanley Cup window for a few more seasons. Extending Victor Hedman was a top priority for the Lightning, so kudos to them for getting the difficult extension done. Hedman is one of the NHL’s elite defensemen.

Alex Killorn got a seven-year extension, which seems like a bit much. But it does make the Lightning better as they seek to win a Stanley Cup. Andrei Vasilevskiy’s extension means that Ben Bishop’s tenure in Tampa Bay could be over after this season.

Player Spotlight: Victor Hedman

Victor Hedman is one heck of a physical specimen. Listed at 6’6″ and 223 pounds, he’s an intimidating figure. Hedman is also one of the fastest and quickest defensemen in the NHL. As great as Kucherov, Bishop, and Stamkos are, Hedman might be the best player on the Lightning.

A number one defenseman is about as rare as an elite center and equally necessary for a Stanley Cup hopeful. No matter which metric you prefer to use in evaluating defensemen, Hedman is a number one defenseman. He plays over 23 minutes a night during all situations, averaging over two minutes a game on both the power play and the penalty kill. If you like defensemen who can score, only Brent Burns has more points per 60 minutes at even strength than Hedman over the past three seasons.

Hedman has a significant impact on possession as well. The Lightning are among the best possession teams in the NHL so that’s an impressive feat. Tampa Bay’s forward depth is better than their defensive depth. The Lightning proved that by making it to Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals with their captain only playing in one playoff game. Hedman is irreplaceable, even more so than Stamkos and Kucherov.

2016-17 Outlook

On paper, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a roster strong enough to be legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. They have impressive forward depth, very solid defensive depth, and a Vezina Trophy finalist in net. Even if Ben Bishop gets injured, Vasilevskiy has proven to be a capable NHL starter. Despite the Panthers’ improvements, the team to beat in the Atlantic Division is still the Lightning.

That said, the Lightning’s Stanley Cup window is gradually closing. They’re starting to have to sacrifice certain pieces in order to keep others. So far, general manager Steve Yzerman has done a great job making those very tough decisions.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have enough elite talent that they will contend. However, their Stanley Cup hopes do not rely on Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, or Bishop. Rather, they lie on the role players like Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn, and Ondrej Palat. If those players can step it up, the Lightning have a great chance of winning the Stanley Cup.