At the beginning of free agency, the Tampa Bay Lightning had one goal: build a championship worthy roster. Any National Hockey League team dreams of hoisting the Stanley Cup. Along with the NHL entry draft, free agency is a premier way to get one step closer towards a hockey team’s dream.
Led by the signing of Pontus Holmberg and the return of Gage Goncalves as listed on PuckPedia, the Lightning’s free agency period shows fans that management believes the current roster to be ready for a dominant season ahead. The core of the Lightning, of course, remains unchanged. The top six, of course, remains unchanged. The top four, of course, remain unchanged. However, the depth of the Tampa Bay Lightning is where additions get interesting.
Depth and consistency is what championship teams eat for breakfast. Simply look at the NHL’s newest evil empire: the Florida Panthers.
The Tampa Bay Lightning used to be the biggest threat across the National Hockey League. Tampa’s back-to-back run was the pure demonstration of consistency at every level. The offense was lethal, the defense was foundational, and the goaltending was impossible to breach.
What did one see with the Florida Panthers this past playoffs? The offense was deadly across the roster, the defense was stable, and the goaltending was stellar. Through four rounds, the Florida Panthers were able to steadily show all corners of the National Hockey League why they deserve to be champions.
The Lightning’s current offseason is not only an attempt to revitalize the team’s depth, but to also give the team confidence. The mere fact that no major additions were made demonstrates faith in the Lightning’s structure. Tampa Bay has the star power and the all the right pieces to make a memorable Stanley Cup run: they simply need to perform.
Under the direction of Head Coach Jon Cooper, there surely is no doubt the Lightning have limitless potential to make it to the Stanley Cup again. The only question remaining is fairly simple: will the Lightning make the Stanley Cup once again? Only time will tell.
