Tampa Bay Lightning: The Failure And The Future

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost Game 7 and come home to rest and heal after an especially brutal season. Going into the offseason, questions remain as to the future of the Bolts.

I honestly did not want to write this tonight. I really wanted to wait a few days before diving head first into the deep end and dissecting the season the Tampa Bay Lightning had. I really did not want to relive the way it ended so soon.

Unfortunately, a few people wanted to push the issue. Unfortunately, some did not want to accept the truth for what it is. So here I am, writing at 2:00am trying to bring closure to what in all honesty was an amazing season. Reliving a season I would otherwise be trying my hardest to forget if I had not taken the time to apply for and accept this position a week ago.

To start, let me reiterate my last article. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ben Bishop had the same team in front of them this season. Despite this, one of these goaltenders has far better stats. Also to reiterate, not all the blame for that belongs to Vasy. However, some of it and especially game 7 does.

Did the Bolts play their best in front of Vasy? I would say no. Is it the fault of the players on the ice at the time? I would still say no. Bishop brought many intangibles to the team, the most obvious being his ability to play the puck.

Many fans downplay this ability. Many scream for him to stay in the crease when he leaves to play the puck. Regardless of the fans feelings about his mobility, the 2016 Eastern Conference Final proved just how valuable his ability to play the puck is to the Lightning.

Prior to the series versus the Pittsburgh Penguins the Bolts were controlling play and giving up less than 30 shots per game. This was mainly due to two reasons: first off, the Bolts were amazing at blocking shots in the first two rounds and failed miserably at doing so against the Penguins. That can be attributed to the five skaters on the ice in front of Vasy.

Secondly, the lack of Bishop created issues for the Bolts getting out of their zone. Look at game one prior to the injury. The Penguins had very little time in the offensive zone and the Bolts had control of the game. Game two, when the Penguins had time to study Vasy and change their game plan to the current situation, well, things changed.

From game two on, the Penguins were the better team. As a Lightning fan and STM, I hate to admit this, but it is true. The Penguins outplayed the Bolts in every way from game 2 on. The Bolts managed to steal a couple games in between, but that is attributed completely to the offensive prowess of players like Nikita Kucherov.

I truly, in all honesty, do NOT blame Vasy for the way this series ended. For a rookie goaltender coming in during such a high profile series, he played as good as could be expected of him.

That does not change the fact that Vasy lets in some soft goals, especially in game 7 when he needed to be at his best. Some athletes perform at their best under the harshest spotlights. Ben Bishop is one of those people, proven by his tying the NHL record for series clinching shutouts in just two seasons.

I also do not blame Bishop for the Bolts failing to claim the Stanley Cup either of the last 2 seasons. You can not in good faith blame the defensive play in front of Vasy for his poor GAA but blame Bishop for being injury prone.

Bishop has played more than 60 games in the regular season 3 years in a row. On top of this, he has also played 35 playoff games in the last 2 years. He has done this with a winning record, been a Vezina finalist twice, and taken the Lightning to 3 straight playoff appearances all in just 3 years as a starter.

The story line people seem to ignore though is that Bishop has done all this behind a sub-par defense that has left him out to dry more times than I’m able to count. In consecutive years, it was interaction with opposing players that was not penalized, and arguably could have been, that caused the injuries to Bishop.

I still believe Vasy has a lot of potential. I still feel he could be a starting goaltender for an NHL team. I also still believe it will not be with the Lightning. His play is not the only reason for this, a lot of it has to do with cap space and expansion potential.

The Lightning only have so much payroll to keep players on their roster (hint: another article that will ruffle your feathers is coming) and keeping two goalies capable of claiming the top spot isn’t part of that budget.

It will be a few years until Vasy is ready to take on the top spot and take the reigns from Bishop, but Yzerman only has one more year with Bishop under contract to decide the future of the Lightning.

That leads to an incredibly tough decision; keep Bishop for another 3-5 years and hope he can stay healthy enough to bring the Bolts a Cup or 2 and potentially a Vezina, or do you put your faith in Vasilevskiy and accept the first 2-3 years at the minimum will be rebuilding years trying to build a team that can win with him in goal?

Personally, I have always chosen to deal with the demon you know rather than the unknown. In this case, I know what over-reliance on Bishop leads to. I know bad luck happens. I prefer a backup goalie who has a similar play style to Bishop who even if his stats are not quite as good doesn’t force the rest of the team to change their play style.

I think giving Bishop another 3-5 years at superstar money and giving Wilcox or Kristers the backup role results in a minimum 1 cup for the Bolts, potentially more if they can manage to keep the offense as potent as it has been.

Next: Lightning Suffer Heartbreaking Loss In Game 7

Most of this is conjecture, and I’m sure I’ll take a lot of heat for it, but only the future can prove my predictions right or wrong. It is also important to remember that these are the opinions of one man who is a Lightning fan and wants nothing more than to see his team hoist the cup. I will gladly admit I am wrong, and cheer on Vasy holding the cup up high in a Lightning sweater if that day comes.

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