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Bolts By The Bay Mailbag: Who Are The Biggest Threats To The Tampa Bay Lightning In The Eastern Conference

By Kyle Barber

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May 29, 2015; New York, NY, USA; NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly presents Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) with the Prince of Wales Trophy after game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to this week’s Bolts By The Bay Mailbag, the place where we take any questions you may have about the Tampa Bay Lightning and give you answers.

Have a question for next week’s BBTB Mailbag? There are many ways to reach us! The easiest way would be by filling out this Google form. You can also get us your questions by commenting on any of our articles or on our Facebook page. Tweeting is also an option. Send your question to either @BoltsByTheBay or my personal account@K_Barber9. With that, let’s get to this week’s question.

Matt asks: Who are the other cup contenders in the Eastern Conference besides the Lightning? Which one posses the biggest threat to the chances of making it to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances?

This question is basically a more Eastern Conference friendly version of last week’s question. However, it is still an interesting topic that I would love to go more in-depth on. The Eastern Conference has 12 teams out of 16 in the conference that are going to battle it out for playoff spots during the upcoming season. Each division has six teams that are going to compete for the three spots that are available at the top of each division while the six that are left out will fight for the last two spots to get into the playoffs.

The way I look at it, almost every single one of those teams did something this offseason to improve their respective rosters. Some made a big splash in free agency or via trade while others were able to keep their current rosters intact and not lose any key pieces. These are also the teams that made minor tweaks to their rosters and are locked and loaded for another playoff run. The Tampa Bay Lightning fall in the ladder category.

Looking at each team individually would make this article way too long, but breaking down how each division race will go down followed by the battle for the final two wildcard spots will work just as well.

Next: The Metropolitan Division Race

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