Tampa Bay Lightning:16 Games And Counting
By Josh Russell
With only 16 games left, The Tampa Bay Lightning are in prime position to make another deep playoff run.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have had one wild ride of a season in dealing with injuries, contract negotiations, and the Jonathan Drouin saga. Yet, here they are sitting atop the Atlantic division with 82 points charging ahead to a third consecutive playoff berth.
The Bolts jumped out to a 3-0 record to start the season and it seemed as though the boys in Blue were picking up right where they left off last season, but with a rough finish to October and average play in November and December the Lightning had a 17-21 record through the first 3 months of the season. There were quite a few contributing factors to the Bolts unlikely start to the season and man games lost to injury was a major factor.
To date, The Lightning have lost 219 man games due to injuries this season and it has been key players throughout the lineup who have missed time. Tyler Johnson has missed 13 games this season. After learning during the Stanley Cup Finals this past season that he had been playing with a broken wrist, it is not hard to see why it has been a difficult go for him this season. Johnson’s play and point production has been picking up as of late.
Ondrej Palat has missed 20 games this season and in my opinion, he cannot be replaced. Palat is what makes the Triplets line tick. Jason Garrison, a top 6 defenseman has missed 10 games due to a lower body injury and his absence was felt.
Mix in injuries to other players here and there and it’s easy to see why this team struggled through the first three months of this season. It wasn’t just injuries that affected the Lightning’s mediocre start to the season, though, the unexpected always makes for an interesting roller coaster of a ride. Queue Jonathan Drouin.
Jonathan Drouin is a highly touted prospect and despite not wanting to admit it, it is for good reason. The number 3 overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft came out of the QMJHL after a 41 goal, 105 point effort in 49 games for the Halifax Mooseheads in the 2012-2013 season, numbers not to be scoffed at. He was sent back to Halifax for the 2013-2014 season in which he bested his point total from the year before by posting 108 points in 46 games. It was obvious to see that Drouin had superstar-like talent.
Coming into the 2014-2015 season Drouin was seen as a Calder finalist for Rookie of the Year. He was also tagged as the winger that would hopefully one day become part of a duo that would take over the NHL. I still get chills thinking about what could have been and the potential of a Jonathan Drouin and Steven Stamkos line. Drouin was supposed to be the replacement for Martin St. Louis alongside Stamkos, but, I truly think that Drouin and Stamkos could have been better than that.
Just for a moment imagine a fully developed Jonathan Drouin creating plays and feeding the puck on a consistent basis to one of the best pure snipers the game has seen in Steven Stamkos.
Yeah, it’s a frightening thought for anybody who is not a fan of the Lightning.
Unfortunately, that will more than likely not come to fruition. It was released publicly back in January by Drouin’s agent, Allan Walsh, that Jonathan Drouin wants a trade out of Tampa. Many thought that Drouin would be traded by this year’s trade deadline, February 29th at 3:00 pm, but Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman stood firm in his decision to do what is best for the organization. Now it looks as though Drouin will not be dealt until the NHL Draft this year.
At this point, it’s safe to say that the possibilities of Jonathan Drouin playing for the Lightning are slim at best and with the way Drouin has handled this situation, that is fine with me. Another story that has every Bolts fan on the edge of their seat is the new contract, or lack thereof, for Steven Stamkos. Yes, Yzerman and the Lightning made an offer to Stamkos but it has not been signed and it leaves Bolts Nation in a worried state of mind. Here is my take.
Steven Stamkos is known as one of the best pure snipers in the NHL. Rightfully so, as he has already captured two Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophies and has scored 40 or more goals in 4 of his first 7 seasons in the NHL. Pretty impressive stats by any measure. He is the Captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning and a prominent figure in the team’s success.
Stamkos will be a UFA(Unrestricted Free Agent) at the end of this season and it has sparked speculation across the league and within certain fan bases on whether Stamkos will re-sign with the Lightning. Many analysts think Stamkos will test the Free Agent market. I will say this, whatever Steven Stamkos decides to do is his choice and one that he has earned. He has endured the best and the worst of seasons with the Lightning and I am proud to call him Captain.
Now, in saying that, I do not think that Yzerman should offer anything more than $10 million per season. There are other prominent key figures on the Lightning roster that are due contracts within the next couple of seasons and they are players that I believe absolutely have to be re-signed.
Nikita Kucherov is an RFA(Restricted Free Agent) at the end of this season, Victor Hedman is a UFA at the end of the 2016-2017 season, Tyler Johnson is an RFA at the end of the 2016-2017 season, Ondrej Palat is an RFA at the end of the 2016-2017 season, and Ben Bishop is a UFA at the end of the 2016-2017 season. There are many pieces to the Lightning puzzle that are due for a nice raise in salary and Steve Yzerman is going to have his hands very full. It all starts with Steven Stamkos and that is still up in the air at this point in time.
Through adversity, comes strength and this Bolts team has proven that it’s going to take everything a team has to offer to keep them down. They have come together in the most challenging of times this season and they have overcome every obstacle thrown in their way.
On the heels of a 9 game winning streak that set a franchise record the Lightning stare down the road at their last 16 games of the regular season searching for a playoff berth with Stanley Cup aspirations and dreams in mind.
Next: Jonathan Drouin Returning To Practice, Suspension Lifted
They were there last year and along with Bolts Nation felt the bitter taste of defeat in the greatest tournament of all sports. They have what it takes and they are primed and ready to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals. Only, this time, they have the experience, the hunger, and the will to capture the glory and bring Lord Stanley’s Cup back to Tampa Bay.