The Tampa Bay Lightning have made a habit of being one of the best teams in their division. Season after season, they continue to show why they are feared. This offseason they made few changes but sometimes that can be a good thing, They do come with heavy expectations for the season, one they hope they can win the Atlantic Division.
What can we expect from Geekie?
Young star Connor Geekie is entering his second season with the Lightning but this season he is hopeful to break through. Th 6-foot-4 and 212-pound center played 52 games with the Lightning last season, producing eight goals and six assists for 14 points, along with one power play goal, three game-winning goals, and 97 hits.
The 11th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes, he is developing into a solid player who could make an impact this season. He came to Tampa Bay with defenseman J.J. Moser and two draft picks from Utah in exchange for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. He may start the season on the third line but based on his play this preseason he may be moved up. In the preseason, he has two assists, nine penalty minutes, and a 67% winning faceoff percentage in 15 minutes of ice time.
Can Vasilevskiy win the Vezina Trophy again?
Another constant with Tampa Bay is playoff goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. The 6-foot-4 and 223-pound goaltender won the Vezina Trophy for the league's best goaltender in 2018-19 and has been runner-up five times. Th 31-year-old has been nothing short of amazing since he began in the NHL and his stats have proved he is one of the best.
Last season, he was second in save percentage (.921), 13th in goals against average (2.18), second in saves (1,581), and second in wins (38). The goals against average was the lowest of his career and his six shutouts were the second highest of his career. With an already solid defense, the addition of Moser could be what it takes for him to earn the Vezina Trophy once again. Could it be that he is getting better with age?
Can Lightning overtake ailing Panthers?
The Lightning and Florida Panthers have been two of the best teams in the division over the past few seasons. However, with Aleksander Barkov out for the season and Matthew Tkachuk out until December, could this pave the way for Tampa Bay to put a stranglehold on the division? Last season, the Lightning went 3-6 against the Panthers during the regular season but finished four points ahead of Florida in the final division standings. The start of the season for Tampa Bay is crucial as they could put Florida in a hole from the very beginning.