Coach: Jon Cooper (since 2013). 7.5/10
2018-19 record: 62-16-4, 128 points (1st in the Atlantic Division, 1st in the Eastern Conference).
Playoffs: Eliminated in four games in Round 1 by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Departures: Ryan Callahan (LW), Dan Girardi (D), Anton Stralman (D), J.T. Miller (RW), Adam Erne (RW).
Arrivals: Curtis McElhinney (G), Kevin Shattenkirk (D), Scott Wedgewood (G), Luke Schenn (D), Luke Witkowski (D), Mike Condon (G), Gemel Smith (LW), Patrick Maroon (RW).
Top forwards: Nikita Kucherov (85-115 points), Steven Stamkos (65-85 points), Brayden Point (65-85 points), Ondrej Palat (50-60 points), Tyler Johnson (45-55 points), Alex Killorn (35-45 points), Anthony Cirelli (30-35 points), Kunitz (25-30 points), Yanni Gourde (35-40 points), Cédric Paquette (15-25 points), Patrick Maroon (15-25 points).
Must-improve forwards: Killorn and Johnson are getting paid like 50-60-point producers, respectively, and both are producing close to 10 points below expectations. Maybe the top two lines are getting too much ice time and the guys stuck in the middle are the ones oin the middle of the line-up who could likely score a full line higher on any other team are paying the price for it. The problem is, with the Lightning being so cap-strapped in the next few years, if J and K do not rpoduce, the Bolts may not be able to justify and, furthermore, afford to pay them second-line money for third-line production.
Top defensemen: Norris candidate Victor Hedman (50-70 points), Ryan McDonagh (20-25 points), Mikhail Sergachev (35-45 points), Kevin Shattenkirk (20-30 points), Luke Schenn (5-10 points), Braydon Coburn (10-15 points).
Goalies: Andrei Vasilevskiy (91/100), Curtis McElhinney (79/100).
Top prospects: Nolan Foote (18 years old, LW), Gabriel Fortier (19, C), Cal Foote (20, D), Oleg Sosunov (21, D), Alexander Volkov (22, W).
Analysis:
No matter what they did this summer - even if they had forced Point to remain at home as an unsigned RFA - they would have been everyone's pick to finish first overall. They are the only team this deep at every position, with elite award-winners from the past two years (Kucherov, Hedman, Vasilevskiy) at every position, and an award-winner from a few years ago (Stamkos) still producing on the first line.
Still, they went and got the best free agent backup goalie, to save Vasi some late-season fatigue; they re-signed Point to an affordable cap hit; they acquired the big-name free agent from two summers ago (a washed-up Shattenkirk) to shore up their bottom-three on defense at a reasonable cap hit because the New York Rangers are still paying him handsomely for not playing on their team via a buyout.
This is specifically the kind of line-up the salary cap was supposed to never let happen, but that was notwithstanding Florida's taxation system - or lackthereof.
Prediction: 1st in the Atlantic Division, 1st in the Eastern Conference, 1st in the league.
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