Jan 07, 2012; Montreal, QC, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher reacts during the third period against Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE

As I’m sure many of you read, last week I wrote which current players in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization will be on the 23 man roster for the NHL team.  Now it is time to debate what lines each player will play on once the season gets started.  Based on my projections, the forward group can be found here, while the defense and goalies can be found here.  My hockey philosophy has always been a well balanced lineup with depth and scoring options on every line.  In a perfect world, I like to have a big player, with a skill player, along with a smaller, speedy forward.  With the players the Bolts have on their roster, there are definite possibilities to have that type of mixture on all four lines.

April 7, 2012; Winnipeg, MB, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos (91) during the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at the MTS Centre. Tampa Bay wins 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-US PRESSWIRE

To start off, the top forward line will have to have Steven Stamkos on it as the number 1 center.  He is unquestionably the most skilled player on the team and he has leapfrogged Vincent Lecavalier for the top spot.  Personally, I have always loved how Ryan Malone works with Stamkos.  He is a huge body that can create space, protect Stamkos, and clean up the garbage around the net.  The right wing spot is where the controversy comes into play.  I feel that this is the year where Stamkos can carry his own line the entire year, and not need help from Martin St. Louis to have success at even strength.  This is why I would put Brett Connolly in this spot because Connolly has the offensive ability to fit in nicely with Stamkos and Malone.  This would create a great combination on the line with some protection for Stamkos and will allow Connolly to have an easier time at gaining confidence by putting up points.

The second line also needs to be able to have significant offense and I believe dropping St. Louis to play with Lecavalier will accomplish this by giving the Lightning two number 1 lines.  I would round out this line with Teddy Purcell to create a super scoring line with 3 supremely offensive players.  My reasoning behind having Marty play with Vinny again is that Lecavalier needs St. Louis in order to be his old great self again.  Stamkos can create the offense on his own therefore not needing Marty as much.  Adding in Purcell will put fear into the opposition.  If these are the top two lines then I feel that challenging teams will have an extremely tough time trying to decide which line to put their top defensive unit out against.

For the third line, it is time to get a little creative.  Benoit Pouliot will fit perfectly into this left wing position as the expectations here will be a lot lower than in a top 6 spot.  He has creativity and is a big body that can play well with J.T Brown, who will be on the right wing.  I see Pouliot being this year’s Sean Bergenheim; Pouilot is a former high draft pick with a lot of skill and is looking for the right situation to bring out the best of him.  This could be his opportunity and Brown’s playmaking skills will complement Pouliot well.  Centering this line will be Tommy Pyatt because of his great defensive abilities and the offensive upside that he showed last season.  This can be an agitating effective line that can chip in with a good amount of goals to help give the lineup some much needed scoring depth.

Oct 24, 2010; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Adam Hall (18) and center Dana Tyrell (42) attempt to score the tying goal as Nashville Predators goalie Anders Lindback (third from right) and teammates defend the net during the third period at St. Pete Times Forum. Nashville defeated Tampa Bay 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

Bolt’s fans have become very familiar with the 4^th line of the Lightning in the past few years.  This year should be a bit different because of the multitude of options Coach Guy Boucher has.  Centering the line is probably the only definite there is because Nate Thompson slots into this position perfectly.  To start the year, it really depends on how healthy Dana Tyrell is coming off of his knee surgery.  If he is completely healthy then he will take one of the wing spots because his speed on a checking line is a tremendous asset.  Adam Hall and B.J. Crombeen will most likely alternate games based on the opponent if Tyrell is healthy.  If he is not then Hall and Crombeen will fill out the 4^th line which will give the Bolts some grit that they have not had in the past.

Of course, everyone knows that the lines can change on a day-to-day basis especially with Coach Boucher running things.  We also have to remember that Boucher loves to play with seven defensemen and only eleven forwards which would completely alter these lines.  I think that if these are the forward lines to start the year then the Lightning will have immediate and future success.  These combinations create balance, opportunities, and scoring depth which are all desperately needed in the National Hockey League.  Tweet me your thoughts on what the lines should look like in your opinions at Twitter.com/Margo4pack and look for the defensive combinations on Friday.

March 17, 2012; Tampa FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Brett Connolly (14) shoots against the St. Louis Blues during the second period at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

After looking at the Goaltenders and the Defense in my previous lineup predictions article, it is now time to look at which forwards under contract will make the Tampa Bay Lightning.   Looking at the forward group, it is by far the most complicated out of the three to speculate based on how many 1-way contracts, and how many great young players the Bolts have. Guaranteed spots would have to include Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, Ryan Malone, Teddy Purcell, Benoit Pouliot, Tommy Pyatt, and Nate Thompson. That is already eight players at forward so when we add in the two goalies and the eight defensemen I have making the team, there are only 5 spots left to fill out the 23 man final roster. I think that newly acquired defensive, tough-guy B.J Crombeen has a spot because he brings a physicality element to the team that is sorely lacking. Adam Hall has fit in to the fourth line very well and can win face-offs while providing great penalty kill duty. I see Crombeen and Hall interchanging spots on many nights.

Now that we are down to three spots, the contracts have to come into play because no team wants to lose a player for nothing so players that do not need waivers are at a huge disadvantage. Just as Dana Tyrell did not make the team last year because of waivers, he will most likely make the team for that same reason this year. He will just be starting a new three year deal and would have to go through waivers to go the minors so he would have to have a terrible camp to not make the team.  The only concern about Tyrell this year will be the surgery he had last season to repair his torn ACL for the second time.  The final two spots will be taken by two of the following players: Brett Connolly, J.T Brown, Cory Conacher, Alex Killorn, Richard Panik, Tyler Johnson, and Kyle Wilson.

April 2, 2012; Tampa FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis (26) talks with right wing J.T. Brown (19) during the second period against the Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Kyle Wilson has the upper hand over every player that is left because he is on a one-way deal which would pay him the same amount of money whether he is in the minors or in the NHL. He also is a center and could slot into the 3rd line center spot. Personally, however I see Brett Connolly and J.T Brown making this team. Connolly played all season with the big club last year, except for the Junior World Championships, which gives him a major experience advantage over the others. He also will have another off-season of training which should make him stronger and hopefully able to lock down a top six forward job. J.T. Brown on the other hand was signed out of college late last year to play in only five games with the Lightning. I feel that with only one year remaining on his contract, the Lightning would not have signed him to play five games with the NHL team and then have his deal be over. They signed him because they believe that he can play. This is who I believe will make the team but it would not surprise me if Conacher or Wilson made the team over one of the others because they are definitely capable of playing in the NHL.  Conacher especially, because he was so close to making the team last season.  He brings a top 6 presence that could blend well when put with some bigger and stronger players who could create space for him. It would surprise me if Killorn, Panik, or Johnson made the team because they could use another year in the minors to grow a little more. As with the defense, the offense has tremendous depth which will come in handy if injuries arise as they did last year. There are so many options with this team that it would be extremely hard for anyone to pinpoint the exact roster. I feel like this is a good starting point but it all will come down to who shows up to have a good camp, and who does not. This should be one of the most interesting training camp battles the Lightning have ever had and I cannot wait for it to start.  Next week look for an article on who I think will be starting on which lines but for now feel free to let me know your opinions on who will make the 23 spots on the team.