It is Tampa Bay Lightning report card time! The Tampa Bay Lightning are roughly a third of the way through the season, and it has been average at best. The Lightning have shown flashes of excellence followed by periods of disappointment. Tampa Bay has defeated some of the top teams in the league, including the Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights, and Vancouver Canucks.
However, the team is outside the playoff bubble 36 games into the regular season. The three weak points of the roster are consistency, structure, and defence. On the other hand, three strong points include finishing talent, high-danger chance generation, and Nikita Kucherov. We will grade the top six forwards based on their performance this year.
Tampa Bay Lightning Top-Six Player Grades
Nikita Kucherov (24 Goals – 34 Assists – 58 Points)
Nikita Kucherov has been the best player in the NHL the entire season. The Russian forward generates offence at a historic level for the Bolts. Furthermore, Kucherov leads the league with 58 points in 35 games. He consistently finds the high-danger plays and passes to set up his teammates while also being an elite goal scorer. His 24 goals rank second in the NHL behind Auston Matthews. Kucherov is on pace to win the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player. He has been nothing shy of brilliant so far.
Grade: A+
Brayden Point (16 Goals – 22 Assists – 38 Points)
After a 51-goal campaign last season, expectations were through the roof for Brayden Point heading into the 2023-24 season. While Point has pieced together a productive offensive season, many of his points are secondary assists. However, he ranks ninth in 5v5 points league-wide. Point has shifted to a dual-threat role on offence this year instead of a pure goal scorer. This shift is due to Kucherov leading the league in shots on goal and establishing himself as a lethal goal scorer. Nevertheless, Point has played very well through the first 36 games of the season.
Grade: A-
Brandon Hagel (10 Goals – 19 Assists – 29 Points)
Brandon Hagel remains one of the most underrated players in the league. He possesses the stamina and speed of a bull on top of providing constant energy for this team to push in the game. Hagel started the 2023-24 season red-hot and was playing at a point-per-game pace. However, Hagel has been in a slump throughout December. He has not recorded a goal since late November. Furthermore, he has only six assists in his last 13 games.
What earned Hagel his “A” is his defensive play and microstats. While the production has not been great lately, Hagel has some of the best underlying numbers on the team through Last Word’s microstat tracking project. We believe his December performance is not an indicator of his true abilities.
Grade: A-
Anthony Cirelli (8 Goals – 8 Assists – 16 Points)
Anthony Cirelli continues to be the defensive stalwart of the Lightning. On top of his stellar defensive efforts, Cirelli provides serviceable secondary scoring for the roster. He is fast like the wind and has a constant motor during his shifts. Moreover, Cirelli found his game offensively when he had a stretch with seven points in six games during December. Cirelli is critical for the future of the Lightning moving forward at 26 years old.
Grade: B
Steven Stamkos (15 Goals – 20 Assists – 35 Points)
Despite his name brewing in trade rumors over the past few months, Steven Stamkos remains beloved by Lightning fans. Unfortunately, the team and Stamkos have not worked out a new contract. However, Stamkos is enjoying another solid season at 33 years old. He ranks third on the Lightning in points and 25th in the league point-scoring race. Stamkos continues to utilize his lethal one-timer on the power play and has been clutch in late-game scenarios.
Stamkos does not touch an “A” due to his poor defensive play. He is severely out-chanced by his opponents at even strength this season. In addition, Stamkos has relied on the power play for his point production. If the Lightning remain in the playoff hunt, Stamkos will likely re-sign with the Lightning next season.
Grade: B-
Nick Paul (11 Goals – 8 Assists – 19 Points)
Nick Paul had high expectations for this season due to his role on the roster. Paul earned himself an opportunity to play first-unit power play minutes on one of hockey’s best power plays. He has remained on the top power-play unit throughout the season. Paul has bounced throughout the lineup in terms of his even-strength role. Recently, Paul recorded six points in two games on the first line with Kucherov and Point.
Outside a few multi-point performances, Paul has been disappointing this season. He has not provided the chance suppression results on the defensive end as he has for his entire career. His production stems from the power play. Paul needs to improve his even-strength play for a grade boost later in the year.
Grade: C+
Main Photo: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
