1. Are the Lightning still a Stanley Cup contender?
They think they are even though they haven’t won a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the Eastern Conference Final in 2022.
The Lightning will look different without Steven Stamkos and his big shot, especially on the power play. Stamkos, who signed a four-year, $32 million contract ($8 million AAV) with the Nashville Predators, scored 19 power-play goals last season. Tampa Bay was No. 1 in the NHL on the power play (28.6 percent).
But they replaced Stamkos with forward Jake Guentzel, who signed a seven-year, $63 million contract ($9 million AAV) on July 1. Guentzel scores in different ways, attacking often from down low and in front of the net. He is a more effective 5-on-5 player than Stamkos as a possession and play driver.
The Lightning still have Nikita Kucherov, who led the NHL with 144 points (44 goals, 100 assists) last season. Brayden Point had 90 points (46 goals, 44 assists) last season. They should be on the top line with Guentzel at least to start training camp.
Victor Hedman is still the anchor on defense with Erik Cernak and the return of Ryan McDonagh via a trade with the Predators. Andrei Vasilevskiy is still one of the top goalies in the NHL and Jon Cooper one of the top coaches.
