The 2024 offseason wasn’t short of action for the Tampa Bay Lightning front office and fan base. There was a culture shift in the team this summer, and the roster will never look the same moving forward. The first building block of the core, Steven Stamkos, will finally wear a new sweater for the first time in his NHL career. The first overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 16-year veteran and captain of the Lightning signed a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators in free agency.
Related: 3 More Lightning Questions for the 2024-25 Season
With the loss of Stamkos, Tampa Bay retooled their team throughout the summer with numerous trades and signings. They re-acquired Ryan McDonagh from the Predators to reinforce the blue line. Furthermore, the Lightning traded Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club and traded for the signing rights of Jake Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes. At the bottom of the lineup, the front office sent Tanner Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings and signed depth pieces like Cam Atkinson and Zemgus Girgensons. With many moving pieces in recent months, a few final questions remain for the Lightning before the puck drops.
Who Fills the Void for Stamkos on the Power Play?
With the loss of their generational one-timer on the left circle, Tampa Bay must find a new player for the left side on the top power-play unit. The Lightning have a few options they have experimented with in training camp. First, Brandon Hagel just scored a career-high 75 points last season and signed an eight-year extension in Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old continues to improve each season, and an opportunity on one of the league’s top power play units can help elevate his production to new heights. He trained with Nikita Kucherov for two months during the offseason to prepare for a power-play role. However, head coach Jon Cooper may want to steer in a different direction after seeing the unit in action.
The issue with Hagel on the first unit is that he’s a left-hand shot on the left side, eliminating his ability to take one-timers like Stamkos did. He must catch and shoot the puck on his strong side, which takes up more time and allows the goaltender to get set. Therefore, Cooper has tried newly signed veteran Atkinson on the left circle. He even experimented with a second defenseman on the top unit, Darren Raddysh, who had experience at the position back in his junior hockey days. While the Lightning are down to a select few candidates, the spot is a question mark before their opening game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Will Andrei Vasilevskiy Re-Establish Himself as an Elite Goaltender?
The Lightning’s $9.5 million goaltender is widely considered one of the best in the league despite his steady decline over the past three seasons. His games played, wins, goals-against average, and save percentage continue to dip each season since 2021-22. Andrei Vasilevskiy had surgery on his back before the 2023-24 season, leaving Jonas Johansson as the starter for the first two months. While Johansson didn’t impress, he kept the Lightning hovering around a playoff position until Vasilevskiy’s return.
The Russian netminder had consistency issues following his return from injury last season. There were stretches where Vasilevskiy looked amongst the NHL’s elite goalies and times where he appeared overworked and played poorly. With a healthy and more structurally sound defensive unit for the upcoming season, Vasilevskiy should receive more help from his team. However, the weight lies on his shoulders, as the Lightning need him to bounce back as one of the league’s best goaltenders if they plan to make a run at the Stanley Cup one last time with this current core.
Which New Faces Crack Opening Night Roster?
Surprise faces always make the opening night roster just days before the regular season. At this time last year, Waltteri Merelä cracked the Lightning’s opening night roster coming from overseas. However, he lasted just 19 games with the NHL squad, scoring one goal and zero assists. While he posted solid numbers in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Syracuse Crunch, he elected to return to Europe to play in the Swiss National League (NL). The Lightning had a few injuries up front to start training camp, giving some younger players a look at the NHL roster to start the season.
Blue-chip prospect Conor Geekie continues to impress in camp and throughout the preseason. The 6-foot-4 centerman is a skilled player with a solid two-way punch. The Lightning have also really liked last season’s AHL All-Star, Gage Goncalves, who earned two games with Tampa Bay up in the NHL last season. Furthermore, the Lightning recalled prospect Dylan Duke to skate with the team a few days ago. Ultimately, numerous young players are fighting for the NHL roster. Who will fill those final roster spots up front for the team on opening night?
Closing Thoughts
The Lightning left a lot on the table with back-to-back first-round playoff exits the last two seasons. General manager Julien BriseBois was active with deals and signings this summer to get his team back on track and prepare for the future. Tampa Bay was busy in the offseason compared to recent years, which leaves fans with a deep list of questions heading into the 2024-25 season. The Lightning will look to clean things up and make yet another deep playoff run this season.
