Tampa Bay Lightning: Should The Bolts Shop Offense Or Defense?

The Tampa Bay Lightning had a solid season altogether, but some holes in the team were exposed over the course of the 2015-16 campaign.

When the regular season began back in October of last year, the Tampa Bay Lightning roster looked nearly identical on opening night, except for some minor adjustments.

Goaltender Ben Bishop was in net, the forward corps remained fairly intact, and the defense really hadn’t changed at all. But, as we continue through the offseason and into the regular season, the roster on opening night this October won’t likely look the same.

The regular season was a rough and rocky one and there were many bumps and bruises along the way. Inconsistent play and frustrating injuries at key points in the season left many question marks on this Lightning team. But, they hit their stride and eventually clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Once the postseason began, though, many of those questions were answered and some new ones bubbled to the surface.

Two key players on the Lightning went down before the playoffs even began. As we know, defenseman Anton Stralman suffered a broken fibula in a game against the New York Islanders, and soon after, the team announced that captain Steven Stamkos would undergo surgery to remove a blood clot in his right arm. However, this was not the end of the world for the Lightning and these injuries allowed several players to step up and prove their value to the team.

Players on offense and defense, like Nikita Kucherov, Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, and Victor Hedman, filled in big time when those top players were out and helped carry the team to a second consecutive appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Lightning also received contributions from some unlikely heroes, especially in overtime, as players like defenseman Jason Garrison and forward Brian Boyle delivered victories in the extra period during rounds two and three.

Some of the heroic acts that happened in the prior rounds continued into the Eastern Conference Finals, including a thrilling overtime victory in Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Garrison’s shot deflected off of Johnson’s backside and went into the net. But, the excitement from that victory was short lived and the depth on the Lightning showed up a bit in Game 7, as they lost 2-1 in the final game of the series.

After that loss in Pittsburgh and their exit from the playoffs, we’ve been able to assess the needs of the team going into next season and evaluate what can be done to help push the Lightning to a Stanley Cup Championship. Much of this will be addressed as we head further into the offseason and into the draft and free agency period.

Based on the past season and deep postseason run, the Lightning clearly have a talented forward group with many different weapons within the top six. Outside of the top six, though, it is a bit questionable and I know some people will argue with me on this. Let’s take a look at a more recent match-up in the playoffs.

In the first two rounds, the Lightning played two fairly inferior teams, though the Islanders certainly showed how good they can be in the coming seasons.

In my opinion, the Lightning matched up much better against both the Detroit Red Wings and Islanders in the top six and even the top nine, which could be argued. This is clear since they closed out both teams in five games and gave neither one the chance to climb back into the series.

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Overall, the Detroit series was won based on the strong play of Bishop in goal and timely scoring, while the Islanders series was won based on experience and the ability to keep the top players on the opposition off the score sheet. Plain and simple.

If you look back on those two series, the Lightning had the better depth of the two other teams and those depth players were able to deliver in the clutch, which is definitely why experience matters in the playoffs. And they did this without two of their top players, which is incredible in itself, and it also allowed several players within the organization to leave their mark on the team.

But, the result of the next round left various questions that Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman and his staff must answer this offseason.

Before the puck had even dropped on Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, there were questions about whether or not the Lightning could keep up with the speed and skill of the dynamic Pittsburgh Penguins. Many had forgotten, though, that the Lightning had some speed and skill of their own and could very well keep up with the quickness of the Penguins.

However, as the series progressed, the questions shifted towards how can the Lightning contain the force that was the “HBK” line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel and somehow match up against that dominant third line of Pittsburgh, as well as escape the aggressive forecheck the Penguins employ.

Various factors led to the elimination of the Lightning in that series, including the loss of Bishop early on in Game 1 and getting outshot by a wide margin in each game (the Penguins outshot the Lightning by a 269-179 margin during the Conf. Finals), but it mainly came down depth and which team could control the tempo of the games, among other factors that I won’t get into in this article.

Ultimately, the Lightning came up short in Game 7. So, what can the organization do to help push the team back into the Stanley Cup Final and win a championship? We know how dangerous this team can be when fully healthy and they are definitely capable of reaching the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The window for a championship is still open, but it won’t last forever.

I believe that many of these questions will be addressed when free agency begins. There’s only so much that can be done during the draft, and with the 27th overall pick, the Lightning won’t necessarily be looking for a player that can be a game changer anytime soon. So, the free agency period will definitely be the time to pay attention.

The Steven Stamkos contract saga has been at the forefront of things for the past year now and we know that both sides are trying to do what is best for each. To put things into perspective, the future of the franchise essentially hangs in the balance with his contract situation.

If Stamkos goes, that leaves Yzerman more room in the salary cap to hold onto players like Kucherov, Johnson, Hedman, Ondrej Palat, and Alex Killorn. That also leaves him more room to bring in other players, if desired, but is not entirely necessary.

So, if Stamkos leaves this summer, I think the Lightning should shop for players on the blueline simply because I think the forward group can hold up and continue to produce at an elite level.

Though the Lightning played better defensively this past season, I still believe they need to upgrade the blue line. They already have a top defensive pairing in Hedman and Stralman and a reliable second pairing that is often jumbled up, but usually involves Garrison and Braydon Coburn.

Outside of that, the Lightning are mainly relying on players like Matt Carle and Andrej Sustr to fill in on the bottom pairing.

Now, if the Lightning decide to buyout Carle and trade Garrison for a different piece, that could allow a player in the farm system, like Slater Koekkoek or even Anthony DeAngelo, to step in and fill that role. Otherwise, they could be looking to the open market for another defenseman.

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Some potential free agents that the Lightning might bring in on defense include Dan Hamhuis, Luke Schenn, or even Tyson Barrie via a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. Of course, this is just speculation and we could see a whole different scenario play out.

If Stamkos decides to stay in Tampa Bay, though, then I still think that shoring up the defense is the priority, but depending on who leaves as a result of him signing a long term contract, it may be worthwhile to see who’s available on offense.

The forward corps here is deep and the bottom two lines are deeper than what most teams have. And even though a team’s top players sit on the top two lines, it’s apparent that having a group with four lines deep gets you places in today’s league, especially in the playoffs.

We saw this in the series against Pittsburgh. They can rely on all four lines to chip in offensively and much of their success this postseason has spurred from the production of the dynamic third line.

If the Tampa Bay Lightning want to thrust themselves back into another Stanley Cup Final, the defense is one of the top things to address this offseason. But, much of it depends on what happens with the Stamkos contract situation.

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning: Top 5 Draft Prospects

The Lightning are solid in net, have a talented group of forwards, and possess a respectable defensive corps. Everything will clear up in the coming weeks in what should be an interesting draft and free agency period. Let’s just hope that the right decisions are made.