DEEP AND DEEPER
Even without any high picks in recent years, the Lightning have unearthed some gems
THE LIGHTNING
won’t be picking until late in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft, but not to worry. With all the quality young players they have in their system, they probably wouldn’t have room for another stud with talent. We joke because there’s always room for more assets, but there will be no tag days for Tampa Bay in the foreseeable future. That’s twice in the past four years the Lightning haven’t had a first-round pick, but with the way GM Steve Yzerman and head scout Al Murray have found hidden gems beyond the first round, that shouldn’t pose much of a problem. IMMEDIATE NEEDS: A reliable and experienced backup who can: (a) push Andrei Vasilevskiy; and, (b) spell him off when he needs a break. Vasilevskiy seemed to wear down as his first season as an uncontested No. 1 goalie progressed. Without an established backup, he went from a Vezina Trophy contender to something of a concern. LONG-TERM NEEDS: Ryan McDonagh, Anton Stralman and Dan Girardi are all UFAs after next season. Two of them are over 30 and one is approaching 30. The Lightning have had the luxury of trading away a lot of futures to win now, which might impede their ability to restock the blueline. CAP SITUATION: Tampa Bay has about $11 million in cap space and only one significant RFA to sign in J.T. Miller, who has arbitration rights. The Lightning will want to extend Nikita Kucherov this summer, since his bridge deal has only one year remaining, and he’s their premier offensive player. IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19: The Lightning have had a strong presence at the WJC in the past two years, but some of those players have been dealt. Anthony Cirelli proved with his late-season call-up that he’s ready to take on the role of third-line center. DID YOU KNOW: Tampa Bay likes its prospects close to home. Each of the Bolts’ top 10 prospects in Future Watch played in North America, and seven of them spent time on the AHL farm with Syracuse. Unless he makes the big team, Taylor Raddysh will join that group next season.