HIGH PAIN THRESHOLD
Lightning are tired of their long run of injuries. But the experience it has given players will help
BEFORE THE TIRE
fire of injuries that hit them this season, the Lightning were a favorite to compete for the Cup. There’s a reason for that. Not only have the Bolts hit home runs when they’ve drafted early, but they’ve done an outstanding job of keeping the ball in play after the first round. You need to look no further than Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat and Cedric Paquette to see that. But of their top prospects, including five players who played for Canada’s WJC team, all but Slater Koekkoek were taken in the second round or later.
IMMEDIATE NEEDS: It’s tough to gauge where the Lightning are weak because they were so crippled by injuries. But with or without injuries, the defense corps is thin in terms of depth and could use a few more NHL-caliber rearguards as insurance. LONG-TERM NEEDS: Depending upon how they deal with what could be a crippling free agent off-season, they’ll need to bolster their forward ranks with productive players who will be around for a while. As it stands going into the offseason, the Lightning have only four forwards who are under contract beyond 2017-18.
CAP SITUATION: In short, precarious. They have almost $18 million in cap space, but that will be eaten up if the Lightning have any designs on keeping their roster intact. Tyler Johnson, Palat and Jonathan Drouin will all command large raises as RFAs, with Palat and Johnson both having arbitration rights. They have eight forwards and four defensemen under contract and will need a goalie to back up Andrei Vasilevskiy. IN THE SYSTEM 2017-18: Most of the Lightning’s top prospects are still playing major junior, meaning they’re likely a season or two away from being full-time NHLers. Koekkoek was a part of the playoff run in 2016 and will gain full-time employment on the blueline next fall.
DID YOU KNOW: If goalie Adam Wilcox finds his way into an NHL game – he was called up by both Tampa Bay and Florida after he was dealt there – it will mean the Lightning went a rare and perfect 6-for-6 in the 2011 draft.