Tampa Bay Lightning Year In Review: Valtteri Filppula

As we prepare to direct our attention to the 2015-16 season, let’s take one last look at the 2014-15 season of Tampa Bay Lightning center Valtteri Filppula.

When Tampa Bay Lightning center Valtteri Filppula first came onto the scene, there were some questions as to the motivation of Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman’s decision to sign the young Finnish center.

In the 2012-13 season, Filppula had only managed to score 9 goals and 8 assists for a total of 17 points; however, one can’t really measure one’s true ability based on a lockout-stained season where he played in 41 of just 48 games.

After being given an opportunity to prove himself on Tampa Bay Lightning ice, Filppula proved to everyone here in the Bolts Nation that he not only belonged here, but had what it takes to help the Tampa Bay Lightning get to the next level.

Filppula played in 75 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2013-14 season, scoring 25 goals and 33 assists for a total of 58 points.

This was more than enough to put Filppula in third place on the team in terms of points. The only two players that were able to surpass him in this effort were former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Martin St. Louis and left wing Ondrej Palat, respectively.

Unfortunately, the impact that Filppula made in the regular season didn’t translate well into the post season. At the same time, the very same thing can be said about just about everyone on the team at this point as the Montreal Canadiens unceremoniously swept the Tampa Bay Lightning from the post season.

Let’s fast forward a little bit and take a look at last season. That is what we’re here for after all, isn’t it?

Unfortunately for Valtteri Filppula, he did not see the same kind of success in the 2014-15 season that he did in the 2013-14 season. The Vantaa, Finland native played in all 82 regular season games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, scoring 12 goals and 36 assists for a total of 48 points.

While this may not seem like the worst stats in the world, and they’re not if we’re being honest, they are an unpleasant decline from the previous season. Filppula played in 7 more games than the previous season and somehow came up with 10 less points.

With Players like Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov, and Ryan Callahan ramping up their offensive efforts this season, Filppula would move from third place on the team in points to sixth.

Despite some shortcomings in the regular season, Filppula would manage to put up a decent showing in the playoffs. Playing in all 26 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Filppula brought home 4 goals and 10 assists for the Tampa Bay Lightning, which would bring Filppula to a grand total of 14 points. This was enough to tie him with defenseman Victor Hedman for sixth place on the team in points.

The actual impact Valtteri Filppula had on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2014-15 season is a tough one to call, as it usually is when a player skates their way through to the middle of the pack. While he definitely didn’t put up a lackluster effort, with so many players kicking on the afterburners it is easy to get lost in the crowd.

There are many people out there who believe that Filppula will be one of the players who ultimately ends up being a victim of cap space when it comes to resigning some of our bigger name players like Steven Stamkos, whose contract expires at the conclusion of next season, and players like Nikita Kucherov and Cedric Paquette, whose current contracts expire the following season.

One of Filppula’s redeeming qualities, which is also one of the reasons we would like to see him remain here in Tampa Bay, is that he is solid in the faceoff circle. This is something that the Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to struggle with this season; especially after Tyler Johnson was injured in the post season and stopped taking faceoffs altogether.

Given the fact that Filppula is under contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning until the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, there is still plenty of time on his contract to make him a valuable asset in the trade market. While this year’s draft class did wonders for some of the teams in the NHL (here’s looking at you Edmonton and Buffalo,) there are still plenty of teams that could use a solid third or fourth line forward like Filppula.

All in all, while Valtteri Filppula did not have the blockbuster season that players like Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov did, he still put up a solid effort that is definitely worth seeing on the ice again in the 2015-16 season.

There is no telling what the future will hold for Valtteri Filppula. The offseason is coming to a close rather quickly, but with things like the Steven Stamkos contract looming so heavily here in the Bolts Nation, it is hard to tell what Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman truly has plotted out for this evolving Tampa Bay Lightning team.

We guess we’ll have to wait and see for now.

What are your thoughts on Valtteri Filppula’s performance in the 2014-15 season? Are you concerned at the lack of offensive pressure this season, or do you think he just had an off year like players sometimes do? What do you think he can bring to the table in the 2015-16 season? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning: Who Will Lead The Charge Next Season

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