Welcome to Puck Drop Preview 2014-15, where our hockey department gives you a detailed look at each team from around the NHL leading to the start of this hockey season and
offers our insight and analysis. Makes sure to stick around until the end of the series, where we’ll offer our full predictions for the standings in each division, and eventually our collective LWOS 2014-15 Stanley Cup pick. You can check out all our articles on our Puck Drop Page. Today is the 2014-15 Tampa Bay Lightning.
Last Season
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2013-14 campaign proved to be a breakout one to say the least. After finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference and 28th in the league with just 40 points over the course of their shortened season the previous year, the Bolts surprised the entire hockey universe by racking up a convincing 101 points.
What made the team’s success even more impressive was that they managed to do it without superstar center Steven Stamkos in the lineup. Stamkos got off to an extremely hot start putting up a league-high 14 goals and 23 points in his first 17 games. The 24-year-old’s fantastic, consistent performance would unexpectedly come to a sudden halt after breaking his tibia on November 11th during a game against the Boston Bruins. Stamkos would ultimately miss 45 straight games throughout Tampa’s regular season as well as Canada’s gold medal in the Sochi Olympics.
Despite his noticeable absence, the Lightning didn’t miss a beat and continued on with their winning ways thanks to their wide array of fresh newcomers. They finally found an answer for their second line center woes with the offseason signing of Finnish forward Valtteri Filppula, who far and away exceeded his initial expectations. Filppula was later joined by former New York Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, who was acquired by the Bolts after Martin St. Louis demanded a trade at the deadline.
Additionally, it was the rookie young guns that took center stage last year, propelling Tampa’s offense and sending them to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Both Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson lead the way during their first full seasons in the NHL, combining for 109 total points and a plus-55 at the conclusion of the 82-game regular season. Even 21-year-old Russian winger Nikita Kucherov made an appearance tallying 18 points in 52 games played for the Lightning, further enhancing their scoring depth.
With all of the newfound talent that contributed to Tampa’s success last year, goaltender Ben Bishop was undeniably their most essential asset. Regardless of the fact that it was his first full season as a No. 1 net minder, Bishop confidently embraced the role and ran with it in stride. The Denver, Colorado native finished the season with an overall record of 37-14-7 that included five shutouts as well. There is no doubt that he put the entire organization on his back and carried them all the way to just their second playoff appearance in the last seven years.
Unfortunately, with a less than 100 percent Stamkos coupled with a fluky, season-ending injury to Bishop a week before the postseason, the Bolts were prematurely eliminated from the 2014 Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens after a 4-0 clean sweep.
As disheartening as it was to end a remarkable season in such a disappointing fashion, first-time head coach Jon Cooper’s inaugural season with the Lightning turned out to be a monumental step forward for the team’s future.
2014-15 Tampa Bay Lightning
Offseason Changes
Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman was a very busy man this summer. Out of all 30 teams within the league, the Bolts were undoubtedly the clear-cut winners in terms of positive offseason growth. In addition to re-signing key players such as Bishop and Callahan to multi-year deals, Yzerman was successfully able to acquire a number of other noticeable names on the free agent market this year.
Arguably one of the most coveted players was 28-year-old defenseman Anton Stralman. A big, heavy player with fabulous puck possession numbers, Stralman received a ton of attention and much praise during his time in the national spotlight as he and the Rangers traversed their way to the 2014 Stanley Cup finals. Many fans and analysts alike expected him to be one of the higher paid players during free agency this summer. However, Yzerman and the Lightning were able to secure him to a four-year contract with an annual average value of $4.5 million.
Joining Stralman was fellow New York Ranger forward Brian Boyle, veteran winger Brenden Morrow, hard-shooting defenseman Jason Garrison (via trade from Vancouver), and 39-year-old goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Each of these signings was carried out in an extremely smart manner by Steve Yzerman. He wasn’t that general manager who simply decided to shell out a whopping, undeserving load of cash just to acquire the rights of any one player. He acted intelligently with the primary goal of team-wide benefit in mind at all times. For the amount of cap space that was used this offseason, the Lightning received excellent value in return.
Stralman will provide a puck-moving presence on the back end and add to an already-intimidating group of hard-hitting defense corps. Boyle and his hardworking, never-give-up attitude will present yet another addition to the team’s depth-filled forward lineup. Garrison will again add even more physicality to Tampa’s blue line and bring his booming shot with him at the point on the power play. While Nabokov is indeed aging and won’t get a chance to play as a starter, there’s a good chance he will be able to provide more stability between the pipes than former backup goaltender Anders Lindback.
Along with Lindback, the Bolts also parted ways with forwards Teddy Purcell, Nate Thompson, and B.J. Crombeen as well as defensemen Michael Kostka and Keith Aulie.
2014-15 Lineup Projections:
The following is a projected lineup for the 2014-15 Tampa Bay Lightning. It is entirely opinion-based as a number of players could potentially be swapped for one another:
Ondrej Palat – Steven Stamkos – Tyler Johnson
Jonathan Drouin – Valtteri Filppula – Ryan Callahan
Alex Killorn – Brian Boyle – Nikita Kucherov
Brenden Morrow – Brett Connolly – J.T. Brown
(Richard Panik, Jerome Samson)
Victor Hedman – Anton Stralman
Jason Garrison – Matt Carle
Radko Gudas – Eric Brewer
(Andrej Sustr, Mark Barberio)
Ben Bishop
Evgeni Nabokov
(Andrei Vasilevskiy, Kristers Gudlevskis)
Players to Watch:
Valtteri Filppula: A lot of eyes will be on Filppula to see just how well he performs in his second season with the Bolts. There were many critics that claimed Filppula was not cut out to be a true second line center in the NHL.
In his seven seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, he recorded 100 goals and 250 total points in 479 games played. Last season with Tampa, he fully took on the team’s second line role and was even forced into the No. 1 spot while Steven Stamkos was out of the lineup. He played in 75 regular season games and tallied 25 goals and 33 assists for 58 points over that span. With a healthy Stamkos returning this season to command the team down the middle, it will be important for Filppula to produce in the same offensive capacity as he managed to last year.
Ryan Callahan: It will be very interesting to see how trade deadline acquisition Ryan Callahan adjusts to his first full season with the Lightning. During his limited, 20-game experience with the team, Callahan produced six goals and 11 points. He truly seemed to fit in quite well to Jon Cooper’s system and was welcomed with open arms by his new teammates.
However, the 29-year-old hasn’t played for any other organization but the New York Rangers over his 8-year NHL career. The former captain will still have some familiarity issues to get used to at the start of this upcoming season, but his hardworking style of play shift in and shift out will definitely assist him along the way. Fans should be on the lookout for him to thrive on a high-octane offensive team like Tampa Bay.
Jonathan Drouin: One of the early favorites to win this year’s Calder Memorial Trophy awarded to the league’s “Rookie of the Year” is certainly 19-year-old offensive weapon Jonathan Drouin. The Quebec native has spent the past two years destroying the QMJHL as a member of the Halifax Mooseheads. In 95 regular-season games over the last few seasons, Drouin has recorded 70 goals and 143 assists for 213 total points and was a plus-98. Additionally, at the 2014 World Junior Championships, he put up three goals and nine points in 7 games played for Canada.
The 2013 third overall draft pick will have enormously high expectations once he bursts into the NHL this upcoming season. He has all the attributes that separate the talented prospects from the elite ones: outstanding vision, top-tier playmaking ability, and second-to-none puck skills. The only remote knock on Drouin’s game is that he has been commonly associated with attitude problems over the last couple of years. It will be essential that he learn to control his emotions and gain the type of unnerving composure that the upper-echelon superstars of today’s NHL have. He is also a tad bit undersized at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds. As always when it comes to rookie prospects entering the league for the first time, it will be exciting to see how Drouin’s game transitions to the professional level.
On the Rise:
Ondrej Palat: With Steven Stamkos missing more than half the season last year due to a broken leg, Czech Republic native Ondrej Palat stepped into a top-line role with the Lightning. Palat’s 23 goals and 59 points paired with his plus-32 rating was enough to receive a nomination for the 2014 Calder Trophy. Though he didn’t take the crown, he without a doubt stepped up his game in a role in which he most likely wasn’t quite ready for.
It’s unclear whether or not Palat will get the opportunity to play with Stamkos again this year, but if he does, the chemistry between the two will inevitably continue to grow meaning more success for the sophomore winger. Even if he gets slotted in on the team’s second line instead, playing with a center like Valtteri Filppula is not a bad situation either. Don’t expect any type of slump for Palat this year.
Tyler Johnson: As mentioned previously in the case of Palat, rookie Tyler Johnson was also pushed through the door once Stamkos went down in November. Another Calder Trophy finalist last season, Johnson finished off his first year in the league with 24 goals and 50 points along with a plus-23 rating as well.
Like Palat, he has further enhanced the potential Tampa Bay previously saw in him prior to this breakout season. He has proven that he can play any role within the organization and the wide range of skills he’s displayed on the ice haven’t left much room for naysayers. Look for Johnson to have an even more productive season offensively come this October. At the very least, he will put up similar numbers to those he managed to record last year.
Ben Bishop: It’s no secret that Ben Bishop has forcibly broken onto the scene as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL after his Vezina-nominated performance last season in his first attempt at a starting job. With 37 wins to his name [fourth in the league], Bishop finished with outstanding numbers. His .924 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against-average landed him seventh in the entire NHL in both categories.
At 6-foot-7, 214 pounds, Bishop is a highly unique net minder. For his massive size and wide frame, he is extremely agile with his side-to-side movement. He’s an aggressive yet fluid goalie who leaves little to no room for opposing players to shoot at. It’s safe to say that Tampa would not have finished anywhere near the top of the Eastern Conference if it had not been for the consistently stellar play of Bishop who gave them a chance to win each and every game. Don’t be surprised if he ends up a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the second straight year.
On the Decline:
Brenden Morrow: The 2014-15 season will be Brenden Morrow’s first as a member of the Lightning. While the 35-year-old veteran’s presence is sure to be a positive influence in the locker room this year, it’s not quite apparent how beneficial he will turn out to be when it comes time to lace up the skates and hit the ice this fall.
With 14 years of NHL experience under his belt, Morrow certainly has all the intangibles to help Tampa Bay succeed during the upcoming season. The long-time Dallas Stars captain has amassed 262 goals and 305 assists for a combined total of 567 points in 921 games played. However, especially with his aging body, he saw a reduced role last season in St. Louis where he only managed to put up 13 goals and 25 points in 71 games. It looks as if Morrow will be put in a similar role this year with the Lightning, possibly even a lesser one. Don’t count on him to do anything noteworthy this season. His production is only going to decrease as the years go by.
Evgeni Nabokov: At age 39, there’s not much left in the dried-out tank for Evgeni Nabokov. Last season with the Islanders, he appeared in 40 games and finished with an unimpressive 15-14-8 record. His save percentage and goals-against-average weren’t anything to be optimistic about either. They sat at .905 and 2.74 respectively.
At this point in his dwindling NHL career, Nabokov has lost much of which had made him an extremely solid goaltender. His lightning-fast reflexes have gotten slower, his once-unlimited stamina has decreased dramatically, and his tendency to give up weak goals at critical times in games is not a characteristic any goalie wants attached to their reputation. He will most likely be able to sustain the 20 or so starts he receives for the Lightning, but beyond that, there’s not much hope for Nabokov to ever step back into the spotlight again.
Eric Brewer: A 15-year veteran in the NHL, Bolts defenseman Eric Brewer is approaching the tail end of his professional hockey career. Once used in a heavily relied on, shutdown role, Brewer is simply not the same blue liner he used to be. Over the course of his four seasons in Tampa, he has 10 goals and 52 points in 229 games played. He currently sits at 965 total games in the NHL. Barring any kind of significant injury, he will hit the prestigious 1,000-mark come December.
Brewer has also fallen victim to a number of consistent criticisms to the way he plays the game on the back end. He noticeably lacks the type of raw hockey sense that all top defenseman in the league inherently seem to have. Additionally, for his size, he doesn’t play an aggressive enough game either. His 6-foot-4, 216-pound frame could be used in a much more physical manner. Last season, Brewer’s average time on ice per game was clocked at 17:33. Expect it to drop to an even lesser number at the conclusion of this year’s campaign.
2014-15 Season Expectations:
The Tampa Bay Lightning are poised for another spectacular season once the 2014-15 campaign gets under way on October 9. They have a deep roster filled with blazing speed, pure skill, and hard-hitting physicality throughout. Couple those attributes with a net minder who is coming off a career year with all the confidence in the world, and you have a dangerous combination that all 29 other teams in the league better take notice of.
This Lightning lineup has the ability to challenge Boston for the top spot in the East this year. A healthy Stamkos with more motivation and excitement than ever before, a fully-recovered Bishop antsy to get back into the blue paint, and a perfect balance of up and coming youngsters matched with grizzled veteran leaders. The Atlantic Division could very well go to Tampa this season, and maybe even some hardware as well.
Up next in Puck Drop Preview, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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