2009-2010 Tampa Bay Lightning Preview

Does anyone remember that this team won the Stanley Cup the year before the lockout? It seems like eons ago that this group was the best that the NHL had to offer and even the few stars remaining from that squad have struggled since. After the first year of new ownership was a disaster in every single way on and off the ice, can the Lightning manage to at least put a respectable face on the franchise?

Looking Back at 2008-2009

It was Murphy’s Law incarnate last season in Tampa. New ownership made a huge splash by signing a bunch of talent and hiring ESPN analyst Barry Melrose to run the team. Even better, the Lightning had the #1 overall draft pick, talented center Steven Stamkos, at their disposal. Pundits were picking the improved Lighning as a playoff team and hopes were high.

Then the season began. Melrose was fired in the early going, injuries mounted, the new owners had to go into mediation that resulted in one buying the other out and the Lightning finished with a 24-40-18 record and an unbelievable amount of egg on their face. The biggest highlight of the season was when they didn’t have to play any more games. In short, 2008-2009 was an unmitigated disaster for the Lightning.

The Offseason

Tampa Bay took some solid steps in the offseason, beginning at the draft where they selected defenseman Victor Hedman with the 2 nd overall pick. He is expected to immediately contribute in one of the top two defensive pairings. New acquisition Mattias Ohlund was a savvy decision because it gives Hedman a fellow Swede as his mentor and should ease his transition into the NHL and life in America. The other major moves were the acquisition of goaltender Antero Niittymaki to compete for the starting job and defensive stalwart Kurtis Foster to help tighten up a porous defense. The final big move was the free agent acquisition of scoring winger Alex Tanguay, who was an outright bargain at $1.5 million.

However, the Lightning cut a lot of players from last year’s team. Radim Vrbata, Vaclav Prospal and Gary Roberts are no longer with the team and management has also coalesced into a better decision-making unit with the removal of Len Barrie as part-owner.

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2009-2010 Outlook

The strength of this team will be their offense. Diminutive winger Marty St. Louis had an exceptional season last year, potting 30 goals and putting up 80 points on a terrible team. St. Louis is simply a fantastic player with a motor that never quits. Stamkos also had a strong finish to the season and ended up with 23 goals. Expect him to build upon his strong finish this season. Also expect a rebound year from captain Vinny Lecavalier, whose numbers were some of the worst in his career last year. With rugged winger Ryan Malone and Tanguay also available, there should be enough talent here for two really good lines.

However, the defense is going to be a question mark again. Ohlund is an excellent player but he’s going to be paired with a rookie and I don’t care how good Hedman is going to be, he’s still going to struggle at times as an 18 year old. Behind them, there isn’t really a lot of top-end talent and don’t expect much help scoring outside of Ohlund and perhaps Hedman. I just don’t think that the Lightning improved enough after finished 27 th in goals allowed last year.

The problem is exacerbated by their weakness in net. Niittymaki is a solid goalie but he’s never really held down a #1 goalie position at the NHL level. Mike Smith played well at times last year but he’s in the same situation as Niittymaki in terms of starting experience. In short, both have a lot of talent, both will probably play a lot and both will face a ton of shots this season.

PREDICTION: For the Lightning to have success in 2009-2010, they’re going to need to score a lot of goals and stay healthy. With their top end talent up front, I would be very surprised if there weren’t a lot more goals this year. Frankly, Tampa Bay is too talented at the forward position NOT to improve by leaps and bounds.

However, their defense is a major concern. Ohlund is excellent and Hedman has a world of talent, but outside of perhaps Foster, Paul Ranger and Andrei Meszaros, there isn’t a lot of good talent available. The best case scenario is that all of the new faces on defense can at least perform adequate this fall and allow the goaltenders to get some confidence. However, despite the firepower up front, I can’t imagine Tampa Bay finishing better than 4 th in the Southeast Division because of their lack of depth on defense. Expect another year without the postseason for the Lightning.

By Matt Baxendall
DFN Sports & ProHockey-fans.com Staff Writer

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