2014-15 NHL season preview: Tampa Bay Lightning
This 2014-15 NHL season preview features the Tampa Bay Lightning.
What was Stanley Cup worthy in 2013-14?
Youth was the name of the game for Tampa Bay last season. Of their top 12 scorers, eight were 24 years old or less. While that’s usually a recipe for disaster, new head coach Jon Cooper somehow transformed this group into a team that posted a .616 winning percentage despite not having superstar Steven Stamkos for most of the season.
That youth was recognized at the NHL awards, where not one, but two Lightning forwards were finalists for the Calder Trophy.
Former 7th (!) round pick Ondrej Palat finished second on the team with 59 points thanks to an absolutely stunning second half of the season. From January on, he scored 17 goals and 44 points in 42 games. He also finished with a team-high +32 and over 18 minutes of ice-time.
Nine points behind Palat was 23 year-old Tyler Johnson. He finished tied for the league lead among rookies with 24 goals and his 18:47 of ice-time per game was the most of any first-year forward in the NHL. He added a +23 and led Tampa Bay with 181 shots on goal.
Despite being just 23 years old, Victor Hedman completed his fifth NHL season last year, and it was by far his best. He finished fourth among NHL defensemen with 55 points and also posted a career-high +5 despite facing top competition on most nights. He had a great season, but is still only scratching the surface.
Before being injured late in the season, the argument could have been made that goaltender Ben Bishop was the league’s most valuable player. In his first season as a starter, the 6’7″ netminder posted a 37-14-7 record with a 2.23 goals-against-average and a .924 save percentage to go with his 5 shutouts.
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Bolts by the Bay
What was draft lottery worthy in 2013-14?
It’s a good thing the Lightning only averaged 10.3 penalty minutes per game (11th in the NHL) because their penalty kill was dreadful. The unit killed just 80.7% of the powerplays they faced, good for 23rd in the NHL and tied for second-worst among all playoff teams.
After being a top 10 team in terms of goals scored during the season, much of it without Stamkos, the Lightning managed just 10 goals in their four playoff games against the Canadiens.
What helped even less in the post-season was not having Ben Bishop. Kristers Gudlevskis and Anders Lindback combined for an .884 save percentage and 3.76 goals-against-average. With goaltending like that, it wouldn’t have mattered if Tampa scored at their regular season clip of 2.83 per game instead of 2.5.
The signing of Ryan Malone in 2008-09 to a massive seven-year, 31.5 million dollar deal has been nothing short of a disaster for the Lightning. He’s managed just 92 goals and a -28 in 342 games since. After being arrested last April on charges of driving under the influence and cocaine possession, Tampa Bay decided to buy out the remaining year of his contract.
So what did they do to get better?
Steve Yzerman and company seem to have addressed many significant issues this off-season.
At forward, they added big Brian Boyle with a very cap-friendly three-year, 6 million dollar deal. He’ll help the Lightning’s faceoff winning percentage which was under 50% last year and provide invaluable depth and playoff experience.
Speaking of experience, former NHL captain Brenden Morrow will bring that in spades. While he’s no longer a top-six forward, he can still forecheck with the best of them and his energy and grit will be an asset to a highly skilled crop of forwards.
The biggest overhaul was on defense, where the Lightning added Jason Garrison and Anton Stralman. Garrison will help add another dimension to Tampa Bay’s powerplay with his point shot, giving opponents something other than Stamkos to think about. As for Stralman, he was a very underrated part of the Rangers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, playing over 21 minutes in the playoffs. He was also the best possession defenseman the Rangers had.
In goal, Evgeni Nabokov was brought in on a one-year deal to provide an experienced insurance policy.
Player to watch
Most teams would be devastated by losing a player like Martin St.Louis. What makes it easier to take for the Lightning is that his replacement may already be in the organization.
Former third overall pick Jonathan Drouin has scored a mind-blowing 213 points in 95 games over his last two QMJHL seasons. Granted the “Q” is typically a high scoring league, but those are still impressive totals.
He probably could have played in the NHL last season, but the extra season in Junior gave him a chance to develop physically. At 5’11” and 192 pounds, he’s not the biggest player, but he has excellent hands, off-the-charts vision and has the escape ability to avoid big hits.
If he lands a regular spot on Stamkos’ wing, 65 points and a Calder Trophy could be in his future.
They did an excellent job of identifying and addressing their weaknesses this off-season…
They will make the playoffs if…
All the new pieces fill the holes they were brought in to fill.
They will miss the playoffs if…
Stamkos does not return close to the player he was before his injury.
What should we expect this season?
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a young team, but at the same time an experienced team. While many of their stars are in their early twenties, the fact that they had to deal with such adversity in losing Stamkos and then Bishop last season will help them grow.
They did an excellent job of identifying and addressing their weaknesses this off-season, and could have another budding superstar in Drouin.
Assuming they’re relatively healthy, they’ll challenge for the Atlantic Division title, and will threaten any team they play in the post-season.
Prediction
44-26-12 100 points, 3rd in the Atlantic Division, 5th in the Eastern Conference