Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2024-25 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team through the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2024-25 Tampa Bay Lightning.
Puck Drop Preview: 2024-25 Tampa Bay Lightning
2023-24 Season
The Lightning clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff spot for the seventh straight season. However, this run ended quickly to the eventual Cup winning Florida Panthers. Tampa Bay comfortably clinched the first wild card spot, but didn’t make a deep run like in previous seasons.
Nikita Kucherov was a finalist for the Hart Trophy and out up 100 assists in 81 games. Brayden Point produced 46 goals and Steven Stamkos added another 90-point season. The return of Andrei Vasilevskiy jump-started the team’s season after he missed the early-portion of the schedule. However, he uncharacteristically struggled in the post-season.
Head Coach Jon Cooper did all he could to get the team into playoff position. However, this was a down year from the lofty standards of this team.
2023-24 Off-Season
The most glaring change is Stamkos is no longer part of the club. Tampa’s captain signed a deal with the Nashville Predators and ended a great tenure. Lightning General Manager Julien Brisebois decided to go in a new direction and signed Jake Guentzel to a lucrative deal. The Lightning added another veteran forward with Cam Atkinson after he was bought out by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tampa Bay also did work on its defensive group in extending Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman. The Lightning also acquired J.J. Moser from the Utah Hockey Club in a deal that sent Mikhail Sergachev out west. Tampa also re-signed Emil Lilleberg to a two-year bridge contract.
Projected Lineup for 2024-25 Tampa Bay Lightning
Forwards
Jake Gunentzel-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel–Anthony Cirelli-Cam Atkinson
Connor Sheary-Nicholas Paul-Michael Eyssimont
Zemgus Girgensons-Luke Glendening-Mitchell Chaffee
Top Six
Some fans will miss Stamkos on the top line, but Guentzel is no slouch. He was productive for many years with the Pittsburgh Penguins and for a brief spell with the Carolina Hurricanes. Point and Kucherov have impeccable chemistry. We did see some times where Cooper split the duo up, but they are better together.
Hagel has been Mr. Everything since coming over from the Chicago Blackhawks. Cirelli put up his first 20-goal season last year while on the second line. Atkinson provides veteran leadership on that line, but go up and down the lineup as injuries and needs pop up.
Bottom Six
Paul has done a lot in his role in the middle six. He gives you a bit of everything in his game. Eyssimont and Chaffee can be shuffled on the bottom-two lines if needed. Sheary is looking to bounce back from an injury-riddled season that saw him only play in 57 games.
The bottom line is full of low-cost veterans that can grind a game down. Girgensons comes over after a number of seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. Glendenning chipped in with 10 goals on the bottom line and helped the team immensely in the defensive forward game.
Defence Groups for 2024-25 Tampa Bay Lightning
Victor Hedman-Darren Raddysh
J.J. Moser-Nick Perbix
Top Four
Hedman is constant on this roster and he’ll be paired with Raddysh. The Swede inked a massive contract extension over the summer and is hoping to sustain his great play on the backend. Raddysh could be an X-Factor on the club this season. He’s taken the unconventional route to be a top-pairing defender. However, he’s put in the work and will be relied upon to eat minutes.
McDonagh returns home after a pair of seasons in Nashville. He and Moser could battle it out for time on the second pairing. However, we think Cooper starts the season with the experienced defender on the second grouping. Cermak is a hard hitter and is responsible in his end of the ice.
Bottom Pairing
Moser comes over after his time with the Arizona Coyotes. The Swiss blueliner could see some time in the second pairing. He inked a two-year bridge deal and is looking to prove his worth.
Perbix has been an underrated piece of the defence and is hoping to contribute. He and Moser can form a solid third-pairing.
Goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Extra: Matt Tomkins
Vasilevskiy‘s return helped Tampa make a charge up the standings after missing the early part of the last season. The former Conn Smythe winner still put up a 30-win season for the Lightning.
Johansson had a career-high 24 starts with most of them coming early in the campaign. The Swede will be needed to help lighten the workload for his Russian counterpart. Tomkins will likely fill in the backup spot if injuries arise, but should see most of his action in AHL Syracuse.
Players to watch
Jake Guentzel
The pressure will be on the Omaha, Neb. native to perform after Brisebois chose him over Stamkos. Guentzel signed a seven-year, $63 million deal to play on the top line. He’ll have to start fast in order to silence the doubters. However, a fast start by Stamkos could make the pressure even greater.
Nikita Kucherov
The Russian start reached the 100-assist mark last season, but will be hard-pressed to repeat the feat. It may take time for Kucherov and Guentzel to have the chemistry that and Point have. However, don’t doubt Kucherov’s powers too much. The 100-assist mark will be tough to reach again, but he has the tools to do it again.
Victor Hedman
The Swede bounced back after a rough 2022-23 season with 13 goals and 76 points. He’ll be needed to help anchor the defence that’s had some rough patches under assistant Jeff Blashill. The Lightning defence will have to play better if it wants to be better than a Wild Card.
Prediction for the 2024-25 Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay does have some great star players, but the rest of the Atlantic Division is trying to get better. The Detroit Red Wings and Sabres got better. Clubs like the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Panthers are among the mix for the post-season. Tampa Bay makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again, but it’ll be a fight for that spot.
Main photo by: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
