MAINTAINING A PEAK
THE LIGHTNING HAVE reached their go-forbroke phase. They traded their 2018 first-rounder to obtain Ryan McDonagh. They drafted Nolan Foote in 2019’s first round but used him to acquire Blake Coleman. They punted their 2020 first-rounder to land Barclay Goodrow. The Lightning thus aren’t stocking up on elite-pedigree prospects these days. Luckily, they have a stellar recent record of molding late picks into useful NHLers. IMMEDIATE NEEDS: The Bolts aren’t scrambling to fill holes. Coleman and Goodrow, who addressed the need for grit, were not rentals. They have a year left each. Kevin Shattenkirk, Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn are UFAs, so Tampa Bay needs at least one D-man who can step right in. LONG-TERM NEEDS: Perpetually against the cap, the Lightning will have to purge another expensive top-nine forward this off-season, whether it’s Alex Killorn, Yanni Gourde or someone else. So, Tampa Bay will need another scoring winger to rise up and fill a void with top-six production on an entry-level deal. Their best bet was Foote, but they traded him away. They don’t have any forwards among the top 100 prospects in Future Watch. CAP SITUATION: The Lightning are victims of their own success, faced with a cap conundrum every year. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, McDonagh and Andrei Vasilevskiy eat up close to $50 million. Breakout two-way center Anthony Cirelli and promising blueliner Mikhail Sergachev are RFAs. Tampa Bay doesn’t have enough space to re-sign both. IN THE SYSTEM 2020-21: Cal Foote’s progression has been steady. Adam’s son and Nolan’s brother is a big, right-handed defenseman with 144 games of AHL experience. Even if Tampa Bay signs a veteran blueliner, Foote has an inside track. DID YOU KNOW: Gourde, Tyler Johnson and prospect Alex Barre-Boulet: each 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9, went undrafted and lit up major junior and the AHL. Barre-Boulet has a blueprint to follow to the NHL.