Now 16 games into the 2024-25 regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning again lack forward depth up front on their roster. Back in the team’s glory days in the early 2020s, the bottom six was loaded with fierce weapons on both sides of the puck. Meanwhile, today’s bottom six is shallow with multiple veterans past their prime.
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The Lightning have five point-per-game forwards in their top six to open the season, while their next-best forward has six points in 16 games. This scoring imbalance must be addressed at the NHL Trade Deadline, or the team might get bounced in the first round for the third consecutive season. The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that the majority of their roster is available for trade, and there are a few enticing, affordable assets for Tampa Bay to bolster their scoring depth.
Beauvillier Off To Solid Start With Penguins
The former New York Islanders forward was a valuable asset against the Lightning in the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Anthony Beauvillier looked like a hard-working, reliable 40-50 point player for the Islanders before he was moved to the Vancouver Canucks as part of the Bo Horvat trade. Since he departed from the Island, Beauvillier hasn’t been the same player. He finished the 2022-23 season strong with Vancouver, registering 20 points in 33 games. However, last season was a disaster for Beauvillier. Suiting up for three teams, he scored just five goals and 17 points in 60 games.
However, Beauivllier has seen improvement following a one-year, $1.25 million deal with the Penguins over the summer. In his first 20 games this season, he has six goals and nine points. Furthermore, he’s posted solid possession numbers playing a vital role for Pittsburgh’s forward core. He’s controlled 54.54% of the on-ice expected goal share (xGF%) and 53.97% of the high-danger Corsi for share (HDCD%) via Natural Stat Trick.
With that, the winger is a solid, cost-effective option for the Lightning at the trade deadline. He is the perfect secondary scoring piece who can play consistently top nine minutes. Head coach Jon Cooper can throw him on the top line with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, or in a middle-six role with the secondary scoring pieces.
Drew O’Connor’s Value at All-Time Low
Drew O’Connor strikes as a player the Lightning can buy low on in the middle of the season. He broke out during the 2023-24 season, scoring 16 goals and 11 primary assists for 33 points in 79 games. He was a perfect complementary piece for superstars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Meanwhile, this season’s production has looked a little different for O’Connor. He has just three goals and six points in 20 games for the Penguins.
O’Connor is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason and has a cap hit of under $1 million for the 2024-25 season. General manager Julien BriseBois loves to find young, multi-year assets at the trade deadline for the Lightning to count on for future seasons beyond a rental piece.
The winger has solid possession numbers with Pittsburgh this season, controlling 50.32% of the on-ice expected goal share (xGF%) and 51.91% of the on-ice shot attempts for share (CF%). Like Beauvillier, O’Connor can plug into any of the first three forward lines for the Lightning and provide improved secondary scoring. Not only would O’Connor help the Lightning this season, but his services can be useful across numerous seasons if they extend him next offseason.
Which Player Best Suits the Lightning?
There’s no doubt both players would impact the Lightning, but O’Connor seems to be the smarter pickup for Tampa Bay. He’s younger than Beauvillier and has restricted free-agent status for the next offseason. The Lightning like to trade for players they can sign beyond the rental season, and O’Connor fits that mold.
While the Lightning can afford both players in a package deal, the team doesn’t have a plethora of draft capital to work with. They are better off saving as many draft picks as possible for the future. Nevertheless, Beauvillier and O’Connor would be marvelous secondary scoring options to address the Lightning’s weak forward depth.
