Puck Daddy’s 2016-17 NHL Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning

Last Season: 46-31-5 (97 points), 2nd in the Atlantic, 6th in the East

The Tampa Bay Lightning made history in their opening game of the 2015-16 NHL season. In their 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, the two teams played the first ever 3-on-3 overtime, with Jason Garrison scoring the winner.

That winning feeling would continue throughout the season as the Lightning battled the upstart Florida Panthers for Atlantic Division supremacy. Florida would win out by six points as Tampa dealt with injuries during the year, including a shocking blood clot diagnosis to captain Steven Stamkos a week before the Stanley Cup Playoffs began.

Despite the loss of Stamkos and another postseason injury to goaltender Ben Bishop, the Lightning came to within a game of another trip to the Final before losing to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7.

They entered the off-season with the biggest question being what the future held for Stamkos, who was set to hit UFA status. But on June 29 he would ink an eight-year extension to stay. Days later Victor Hedman would sign his own long-term deal.

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2015-16 Season, In One Picture

No need to worry, the cornerstone pieces are locked up.

Did They Get Better, Worse, Or Are They About The Same?

About the same. GM Steve Yzerman’s summer was focused on locking up pieces already in place rather than adding to his already talented roster. Defenseman Matt Carle was bought out to help free up some cap room to bring back the likes of Stamkos, Hedman, Alex Killorn, J.T. Brown, Cedric Paquette and Andrei Vasilevskiy, among others.

Five Most Fascinating Players

1. Nikita Kucherov. As of Friday, Kucherov has yet to sign an extension with the Lightning. The 23-year-old RFA led Tampa in scoring with 66 points and set career highs in points and goals (30) last season. He’s obviously a key part of their future, but the cap situation has caused contract talks to drag out with the season approaching. How will his new deal affect the rest of the roster?

2. Ben Bishop. The Lightning’s cap situation is a sticky one for Yzerman, and dealing away Bishop will create some much-needed room below the ceiling; but we don’t know when such deal will take place. It could be soon in order to sign Kucherov, or it could be later in the season, even around the trade deadline as a team looks to improve its crease. Until then, Bishop, who was nearly dealt to Calgary over the summer, will have to play through the season knowing he could wake up one morning and be packing his bags to play somewhere else.

3. Andrei Vasilevskiy. A three-year extension and raise signaled the end of Bishop’s time in Tampa. At some point this season the 22-year-old Vasilevskiy will take the reins as the No. 1 goalie, a job he’s assumed in the last two postseasons after Bishop was sidelined with injury.

4. Jonathan Drouin. The take-my-puck-and-go-home incident is now behind both parties and the young forward was a key factor in their playoff success last season (17-5-9-14). He’s entering his final year before hitting RFA status, and a productive, uninterrupted season will result in a rich extension for him.

5. Tyler Johnson. The 5-foot-8 forward saw his production dip 34 points last season as he was sidelined for 12 games. He again was an offensive force in the postseason for Tampa, but as he enters the final year of his contract, he has a lot to reasons to go back to being a 20-goal, 50-plus point player again.

Mascot Hijinks Video Break

Can We Trust Them At Even Strength?

Yes. Tampa was a positive possession team in 2015-16 (52 percent Fenwick via Corsica Hockey) and were ranked ninth in goals scored at 5-on-5 (148). Since head coach Jon Cooper was hired, the Lightning have been strong in possession, something they won’t have to worry about again this season.

Can We Trust Them On Special Teams?

No and Yes. You look at the Lightning roster and the weapons Cooper can toss over the boards and think their power play would be pretty lethal. Well, last season it wasn’t quite that dangerous. After firing at 18 percent success in 2013-14 and 2014-15, the power play unit dipped to 15.7 percent last season and now Todd Richards will be in charge of improving their output.

The penalty kill was a different story, finishing a solid seventh overall with a 84 percent kill rate. They also scored seven shorthanded goals, with Brian Boyle and Ondrej Palat each netting two a piece. Outside of Carle, it will be the same unit back on the ice this season, which should inspire confidence yet again when the Lighting go down a man.

Can We Trust Their Goaltending?

Yes. Bishop earned his second Vezina Trophy nomination after a season where he posted 35 wins, a .931 even strength save percentage and six shutouts. He’s Tampa’s No. 1 for now, but he’ll likely be moved at some point this season clearing the way for Vasilevskiy, who has done well as a backup and showed he can handle the pressure of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after coming in for an injured Bishop in each of the last two postseasons.

Player Mostly Likely To Be In Vegas Next Season

Alex Killorn. His no-movement clause doesn’t kick in until next summer and with the Lightning’s cap crunch he’s the perfect player to leave exposed and have Vegas pick up.

Coach Hot Seat Rating (1-10, 10 being scorching hot)

1. Appearances in the Stanley Cup Final and Eastern Conference Final in back-to-back seasons, coupled with the talent sprinkled throughout the lineup puts Jon Cooper in a pretty safe place. It’s tough to see things coming off the rails with his Lightning club, and with a number of his players having played for him in Syracuse, there’s a familiarity there that’s translated into NHL success.

Prediction

With pretty much the same roster as last season, the Lightning will again be contenders coming out of the Eastern Conference. There’s balance up and down the lineup and they are built to compete with the likes of the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s good because that’s what will probably happen again this season. They came to within a game of reaching the Cup Final last season and it won’t be a surprise if they’re once again in the conference final in May 2017.

2016-17 Season Preview
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy