The Lightning made the moves necessary to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 and keep the championship window open. They shouldn’t regret most of their moves. When you win it all, you make those moves again every single time. However, it eventually catches up with you. This year, at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Lightning have five picks, but none until the fifth round.
- One fifth-round pick
- One sixth-round pick
- Three seventh-round picks (one pick from the Chicago Blackhawks and one from the Minnesota Wild)
They’ll miss out on quite a bit of talent. But that doesn’t mean they’re out of luck – far from it. The Lightning will have to succeed with what they have, but precedent shows they can make the most of it.
A Team of Late-Rounders and the Undrafted
Apart from Isaac Howard, who just turned 20, the Lightning’s first-round picks still within their organization will all be 30 or older at the start of next season. Even if you include guys like Mikhail Sergachev, who were first-round selections for another team and acquired via trade, the youngest top draft pick in the organization will be 26 in a little over a month.
Not a lot of young blood in that respect.
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Fortunately, the Lightning have developed some talent through late-round picks and the undrafted free-agent market that made an impact in the NHL. Some notable examples include defensemen Nick Perbix (sixth round), Max Crozier (fourth round) and Darren Raddysh (undrafted); and forward Waltteri Merela (undrafted).
It’s been a game of throwing what you have at the wall to see what will stick. With the collection of late-rounders, the Lightning can continue playing that game.
Beyond the current list of names, the team has its precedents. Let’s look at some members of the Stanley Cup-winning teams. Former Lightning forwards Yanni Gourde and Tyler Johnson were undrafted. Ondrej Palat was a seventh-round pick. Three names most Lightning fans wish were still around came nowhere close to being high draft picks.
Being able to develop the players you have plays a huge role in the success of a team.
Trading Picks is Still An Option
While the Lightning have been able to make do with drafting players in the later rounds, this doesn’t mean they have to settle for it either. They can acquire a player using the draft capital or package some picks together with a depth player to grab an earlier pick. That would allow them to grab a slightly better player in the draft.
However, the latter would be difficult to pull off. Late-round picks don’t hold much value when it comes to the ability to trade up. So, the Lightning would be better off shipping off picks for a player or just using the picks in the draft.
Once the offseason officially starts, this will become an option, and we’ll see if the Lightning exercise ir.
When Will the Lightning Have Better Picks Again?
This is the toughest draft the Lightning will have to deal with should they not trade away any picks or acquire any before this year’s draft.
In 2025, they have every pick except their first-rounder, which they will have again in 2026. In theory, the Lightning’s 2025 pick that was sent to Nashville as part of the Tanner Jeannot trade (which contributed to putting this team in a draft bind) is top-10 protected. If the situation isn’t looking great around February, they could tank to get it back. But let’s be realistic and say the next first-round pick is just over two years away.
Would it be worth it to sacrifice a year for more long-term success? Perhaps. But with the core still intact, especially if they re-sign Steven Stamkos, they aren’t letting a single season go to waste. If they were willing, they wouldn’t have traded their 2024 third-round pick for Anthony Duclair.
The reality is this year is likely a wash for acquiring talent. However, if the Lightning play their cards right, they could come out with something: A player — or two if they’re fortunate — who could be a vital part of the team’s future.
