After a long offseason full of change, the Tampa Bay Lightning reported to training camp a couple of weeks ago, hoping to go on another deep playoff run after two straight years of first-round exits.
While the return was exciting for some, the offseason changes signified a new beginning for this team.
Gone were star young defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, dealt to Utah for J.J. Moser, forward prospect Conor Geekie plus a draft pick this past summer, Tanner Jeannot (traded to the Los Angeles Kings) and trade deadline acquisitions Anthony Duclair and Matt Dumba. Most notably, however, the Lightning let star forward and longtime captain Steven Stamkos walk in free agency. That created a leadership opening.
Enter franchise defenseman Victor Hedman. Mere days after Stamkos left for the Music City, signing a four-year, $32 million contract with the Nashville Predators, Hedman signed a four-year, $32 million extension, expected to kick in next season. That made him the best choice to take over as captain, a move that was made official on the first day of training camp.
Lightning general manager Julien Brisebois made moves this summer to make his team younger, faster, and better defensively. With that in mind, he traded for the rights of forward Jake Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes on June 30. The following day, Guentzel signed a seven-year, $63 million contract with the Bolts.
Early on in camp, Guentzel has been skating on the top line alongside Brayden Point and last season’s Art Ross Trophy winner, Nikita Kucherov. While the chemistry between the three continues to be a work in progress, his hockey sense and ability to get back in transition makes him the perfect complement to the aforementioned players.
Cam Atkinson, Zemgus Girgensons, and Jesse Ylonen were also added in an attempt to fill out the fourth line and provide depth to an organization that has lost much of their 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup championship teams.
After a year that saw Hedman rotate partners, Moser is getting a chance to prove his worth to the coaching staff by being paired with a perennial Norris Trophy contender early on in camp.
Geekie has made a strong first impression on the Lightning coaching staff, making the final roster decisions more difficult. He has two goals and two assists for four points in a few preseason games. He’s seen time on special teams as well, with both a power play and short-handed goal in a wild 8-7 preseason affair with the Florida Panthers at the Kia Center in Orlando on September 26.
With the regular season opening soon, the Lightning have three more preseason games to trim their roster down to 23 players. Expect to see a lot of regulars playing in a majority of these games. Starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy likely won’t play before the team’s preseason game in Carolina this Friday, October 4, so the October 2 home game against the Panthers will probably be Matt Tomkins and Jonas Johansson’s final chance to win the backup job behind Vasilevskiy.
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