Tampa Bay Lightning preview: Nikita Kucherov leads Stanley Cup hopefuls
Strengths
Forward Depth
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s forward depth is, frankly, unfair. Of the 415 forwards to play at least 300 minutes at five-on-five last season, the Bolts had 10 (though they’re bringing back nine) in the top 140 in points per hour, including six in the top 100 and five in the top 40. That’s pretty ridiculous.
No matter what, the Bolts are going to have a ton of options in their top nine. The regular season will be all about finding the trios that best work together. Their fourth line will be a bit of an issue, but it shouldn’t be awful.
The Lightning have depth as well. Guys like Mitchell Stephens, Daniel Marrik, Gabriel Dumont, and Andreoff should be able to contribute if called upon.
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Defensive Depth
Not only do the Lightning have an elite forward core, their defense is pretty darn great too. Obviously, Hedman’s one of the best defensemen in the league. Stralman makes whoever he plays with better. McDonagh should be an amazing fit in their system after having a full offseason to adjust. He was a tad bit rough after the trade deadline, but that’s understandable.
Sergachev is the wild card. I think he has the talent to make the Lightning even better. But as I said earlier, Girardi has found the cheat code for infinite lives. Coaches like him for some reason and it’s beyond me why they do.