Tampa Bay Lightning announce Opening Day roster

The Tampa Bay Lightning have officially announced the players who will be taking the ice with the team on Opening Day of the 2017-18 season.

Tampa Bay Lightning fans all across the Bolts Nation are finally starting to feel the electricity radiating from the Amalie Arena in the heart of Downtown Tampa. We are a mere two days away from the moment we have all been anxiously awaiting. In two more days, the Lightning will officially kick off their 25^th Anniversary Season!

Amidst all the happiness, there is still one rather large question looming in the air. Which players will take the ice with the team when the first puck of the season falls to the ice? Well, it seems Lightning fans are finally about to have their question answered.

Yesterday evening, Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman issued a Press Release on the Lightning’s official site which detailed the team’s Opening Night Roster for their 2017-18 season. There are a lot of familiar faces in the crowd as well as a few pleasant surprises.

Let’s take a look at which players made the cut.

Forwards:

#	Player
23	J.T. Brown
24	Ryan Callahan
40	Gabriel Dumont
37	Yanni Gourde
9	Tyler Johnson
17	Alex Killorn
86	Nikita Kucherov
14	Chris Kunitz
90	Vladislav Namestnikov
18	Ondrej Palat
13	Cedric Paquette
21	Brayden Point
91	Steven Stamkos

Defensemen:

#	Player
55	Braydon Coburn
59	Jake Dotchin
5	Dan Girardi
77	Victor Hedman
29	Slater Koekkoek
98	Mikhail Sergachev
6	Anton Stralman
62	Andrej Sustr

Goaltenders:

#	Player
31	Peter Budaj
88	Andrei Vasilevskiy

In addition to the obvious players on the list like forwards Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan, Tyler Johnson, and the rest of the gang, there is left wing Chris Kunitz. Kunitz was acquired as a Free Agent on July 1, 2017. The former member of the Pittsburgh Penguins has plenty of experience playing at the highest level. After all, his name is on the Stanley Cup four times, three times with the Penguins and once with the Anaheim Ducks.

Tampa Bay Lightning

On the defensive side of things, we have players like Dan Girardi and Mikhail Sergachev. After having his contract bought out by the New York Rangers, Girardi would sign a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a Free Agent, Sergachev, on the other hand, came to the Lightning from the Montreal Canadiens in a trade which would see forward Jonathan Drouin make his way north.

As most Lightning fans will remember, the team suffered greatly last season when it came to player injuries. Thankfully, the Lightning had a number of players from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, who were ready, willing, and Ga…we mean able (sorry, lost in a WWE reference there) to step up and make a difference.

Players like forwards Gabriel Dumont, Yanni Gourde, and defensemen like Jake Dotchin and Slater Koekkoek will have an opportunity to show both the team and the fans what they are capable of and work to maintain a more permanent position in the Lightning lineup.

Next: J.T. Brown Has Not Ruled Out 'Taking A Knee' This Season

There is plenty to be excited about right now if you are a Tampa Bay Lightning fan. The team is healthy (thank the hockey gods) and ready to get down to business. After missing the postseason last year, you can bet your bottom dollar the team is ready to get back out there and reclaim their place at the top of the league.