Bolts by the Bay
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Tampa Bay Lightning must win Stanley Cup this year

By Hunter Eitel

TAMPA, FL - JUNE 7: Tampa Bay Lightning players and staff pose for a team photo with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Calgary Flames in Game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 7, 2004 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning defeated the Flames 2-1. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - JUNE 7: Tampa Bay Lightning players and staff pose for a team photo with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Calgary Flames in Game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 7, 2004 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning defeated the Flames 2-1. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images) /
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If the Tampa Bay Lightning wants to continue all the progress they’ve made, they simply must win the Stanley Cup this season.

If there was ever a time to begin to worry about the Tampa Bay Lightning, now may be the time. That may sound a tad over exaggerated since this offseason has been a successful one for the team.

Resigning Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson to 5-year and 7-year deals, respectively. Trading for a talented young defenseman in Mikhail Sergachev. Even adding Chris Kunitz to bring depth and playoff experience at left-wing.

But with all of the additions, re-signings and returning players, is it time to worry if the Lightning will bring back Lord Stanley’s Cup? With talent like Palat, Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn and of course Steven Stamkos,  the Lightning must win the Stanley Cup this year.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning /

Tampa Bay Lightning

Yes, there’s always next year, but next year will have the same core players. The Lightning must capitalize soon, or the moment may very well pass them by.

The Lightning went into last season with all the expectations in the world and missed the playoffs. Mostly in part to all of the injuries sustained during the season.

Come October 4th when the Bolts open the season against the Florida Panthers, there are no excuses. Stamkos is on track to start opening night, the entire roster is healthy, Andrei Vasilevskiy has had his first season as a starter. There is no more “Maybe next year”.

The Lightning can’t turn into a team like the San Jose Sharks, with so many playoff appearances and no Stanley Cup wins to show for it. They have to win and they have to win now.

It is possible. The Lightning can win a fairly weak Atlantic division. Teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, and Florida Panthers look to be in rebuild mode. The Toronto Maple Leafs are talented but lack the experience to truly make a push.

The Boston Bruins are a team full of promise but still have a fair amount of aging superstars. The Ottawa Senators have too many question marks offensively, and the Montreal Canadians have talent (Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, Jonathan Drouin) but lack depth at center.

Nothing against the aforementioned teams, but the Tampa Bay Lightning should be the clear favorite in the Atlantic.

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As for the rest of the eastern conference, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be a challenge, but the expansion draft and free agency have left a few holes in their lineup. And while any team in the Metropolitan division has a chance to win the Stanley Cup, the Lightning have to be the favorites in the east.

The western conference is a little complicated. So many teams (Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks and more) could represent the West in the Stanley Cup Final. But none of those teams are as well-rounded as the Lightning.

The Bolts are one of the few teams in the league with depth at forward, defense, and in goal. The forwards have Stamkos leading the way. The defense with Hedman, Anton Stralman, Andrej Sustr, and Sergachev possibly debuting during the season.

In goal, Vasilevskiy has a lot of potential and Peter Budaj is a strong choice for backup. In the end, no team can match the depth the Lightning have in all three aspects of the game.

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Steve Yzerman and Jon Cooper have assembled the strongest team in the NHL. The Lightning is a shoe in to win the Eastern Conference and then bring the Stanley Cup back to Tampa. But this has to be the year where the Lightning makes their move, otherwise, the team may continue to come up short in the future.

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