3rd Round — Brayden Point
Draft year: 2014
Career stats: 499GP | 218G | 245A | 463P
No surprises here. For those that knew Point was a third-round pick, this was never in doubt.
Point, the Lightning’s best draft pick over the past decade has been everything the team needed him to be and more. From cementing his spot as the top line center, to scoring clutch playoff goals, Point has arguably been the biggest driver of the team’s success since making his debut in 2016.
Signed through the 2030 season, Point will not be leaving the Lightning anytime soon. By the time his career in Tampa comes to a close, it is not hard to imagine that No. 21 will be hanging from the rafters of Amalie Arena one day.
Honorable mention: Anthony Cirelli (2015)
Tough luck for Cirelli here as he had to compete with Point, but in his own right he has been an irreplaceable piece to the Lightning’s recent success. He is trusted with the toughest assignments of any forward on the team and has had the biggest impact on the Lightning of any player drafted in the past decade, besides Point.