After one of the most transitional offseasons in recent history, the Lightning open training camp this week starting with Wednesday’s report day, followed by the first practice Thursday morning at 10:30 at TGH IcePlex in Brandon.
The Lightning certainly will have a different look: Captain Steven Stamkos is gone and Jake Guentzel is in, projected to fill the left wing spot on the top line alongside Hart Trophy runnerup Nikita Kucherov and center Brayden Point.
General manager Julien BriseBois’ focus was to make the Lightning a better 5-on-5 team in 2024-25, particularly defensively. Tampa Bay had the league’s top power play and a top-five penalty kill last season, and scored more than enough 5-on-5 goals to win, but the play in its own end was inconsistent.
BriseBois also tried to extend the Lightning’s window to compete for Stanley Cups by getting younger and putting the team in a better situation under the salary cap. That included trading defenseman Mikhail Sergachev’s contract to Utah in return for cap space and two under-25 players who should play big roles in the team’s future.
You’ll need a roster to familiarize yourself with some new faces and have to hope Stamkos’ presence can be filled both on and off the ice. That said, here are the four big storylines going into training camp.
Life after Stamkos
The biggest plot line entering camp is an obvious one, and it centers around who isn’t here anymore. Stamkos now suits up in a Predators uniform, and his departure leaves a major hole in the Lightning’s DNA. Not only is Stamkos one of the most iconic players in franchise history, he was the unquestioned leader in the dressing room as one of the league’s longest-tenured captains.
Replacing Stamkos’ 40 goals and 81 points is one thing. The Lightning signed Guentzel, who is five years younger and averaged 35 goals and 78 points the past three seasons, to a seven-year deal in the hope he can fill the scoring void.
But the loss of Stamkos also takes away a significant part of the franchise’s Stanley Cup-era swagger. Throughout the tough times the past two seasons, the Lightning could lean on Stamkos to keep the room focused by saying the right thing at the right time. That role now falls to Victor Hedman, who is the favorite to become the team’s new captain, as well as returning defenseman Ryan McDonagh, both of whom had leadership roles on Cup-winning teams.
Make no mistake, there are only seven members of the Lightning’s 2021 Cup team remaining on the roster, the byproduct of today’s salary-cap NHL. But Stamkos’ loss is the biggest yet, and the awkward split didn’t help. If the Lightning struggle early, expect No. 91′s absence to stand out even more.
How’s the health?
The Lightning were hit with some major injuries at the start of the past few seasons, so even though you’d expect them to be at full strength to open the season, they always seem to be missing someone important.
Last season, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy exited the first training camp practice early after reaggravating a back injury he suffered while weight training during the offseason. A few days later, he had surgery to repair a disk in his lower back and missed the first six weeks of the season.
Vasilevskiy didn’t have the benefit of a preseason, so it took time for him to find his footing. The Lightning treaded water during his absence and in mid-January were in danger of missing the postseason. They needed a strong finish just to secure a playoff spot.
Two seasons ago, the Lightning had to overcome a shoulder injury to second-line center Anthony Cirelli to open the season. Three years ago, they were without Nikita Kucherov for the entire abbreviated 56-game regular season before he returned for the playoffs.
How do the new guys fit in?
Besides Stamkos’ departure and Guentzel’s arrival, the Lightning roster looks a lot different than it did at the end of last season. Gone is Sergachev, who had been projected as the team’s future No. 1 defenseman but was dealt to Utah in a shocking draft-week trade. Tampa Bay received left-shot defenseman J.J. Moser, who is two years younger than Sergachev and makes more than $5 million a year less. Where Moser fits in is unclear, because the Lightning want him to get top-four minutes, which could lead to a switch to the right side.
The Lightning tried to address their forward depth with some veteran signings. Cam Atkinson enters this season highly motivated to show he still has more to show as he enters his 13th NHL season. At age 35, he is coming off an unceremonious parting with the Flyers, who bought out the final year of his contract after a season that saw him in and out of the lineup. He’ll have the opportunity to show he can contribute in a middle-six role. Zemgus Girgensons, 30, is a physical presence who can provide some offense to the bottom-six mix.
Prospects knocking on the door
The Lightning enter camp with 12 forwards on NHL deals, and none are waiver-exempt. So, barring injury, it might be tough for someone outside that mix to crack the opening night roster. Still, a few prospects will be knocking on the door and see plenty of ice time this preseason.
Top prospect Conor Geekie headlines the list, so expect to see a lot of him in the preseason in his first year with the franchise after arriving in the Sergachev trade. The Lightning haven’t had a prospect of Geekie’s caliber in years, and his performance in the recently completed rookie showcase did nothing to slow the hype train. While he stood out on that stage, it will be interesting to see how he does in camp competing against NHL players.
Another prospect to watch is forward Maxim Groshev, who consistently has shined in prospect and developmental camps. He was in the middle of everything during the rookie showcase in Nashville and can make a push toward the top of the Lightning’s list of forwards to be summoned from the minors. Last season, seven different prospects made their Tampa Bay debuts, so the opportunity was there.
