Lightning Strikes: Offseason Wish List

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished as the NHL’s best regular season team, but managed to be ousted in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team cruised through the regular season, but hit a road block known as the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were just the hungrier team in the series. The Bolts seemed as though they thought they could just coast through the playoffs without having to put any of the work in. The Lightning have a majority of its players signed to longer term contracts, but there is always room for improvement season-to-season.

Here is my offseason wish list for the Tampa Bay Lightning:

1) Veteran Depth Defenseman

The Lightning already took care of this need when the team announced that Braydon Coburn signed a new two-year deal worth $3.4 million. The cap hit is only $1.7 million per season. The defenseman took a $2 million per season cap hit loss from his pervious contract for an opportunity to try to win the Stanley Cup with a stacked Lightning team. The Bolts definitely underachieved in the postseason last year as they were ousted by a more desperate Blue Jackets team.

Coburn was a decent third pairing defenseman for the Bolts last season. He had four goals, 19 assists and 23 points in 74 games played. He is a veteran player that has been in the League and understands his role. Coburn is more of a stay-at-home defenseman and has always been throughout his career. The extension makes perfect sense for both sides with the Lightning getting a cap discount and a player they are familiar with, while Coburn stays with a team who has a decent shot at getting back to the Stanley Cup Final.

2) Brayden Point Extension

Brayden Point is a restricted free agent and the sooner a deal can get done, the better for both sides. The Lightning will likely want to wait until the cap limit is set, which could be as late as June 25. Since coming into the League in 2016-17, Point has 91 goals, 107 assists and 198 points. It helps when you have linemates name Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, but the kid can flat out play himself.

The 23-year-old creates space for himself and his teammates by using his speed. He uses that speed in transition and to get to loose pucks in the offensive zone. The center also has great vision and isn’t afraid to shoot the puck. Point can be clutch, when needed, since he has 21 game-winning goals in his career. He balances out the Bolts’ lineup without having to overload on one line or rely on top line for all of its production.

3) Create Cap Space

Julien BriseBrois, the Lightning’s General Manager, is going to have to figure out a way to clear some cap space. The cap limit hasn’t been set yet, but the team already has $76 million tied up its roster. The Lightning will have four restricted free agents to get under contract with one of them likely to receive a big raise. Adam Erne, Cedric Paquette and Brayden Point all played a role in the team’s success last season so they should be re-signed. Danick Martel was lucky if he could get into a game last season, but he is a gritty player that can score.

The Bolts announced on June 20 that they have put Ryan Callahan on long term injury reserve, aka LTIR. He has been suffering from injuries the past few season and was diagnosed with a degenerative back disease. This essentially means that Callahan’s $5.8 million cap hit won’t count against the cap while he is on LTIR, which will likely be the entire season. BriseBrois may still need to clear a bit more cap space, just to have some wiggle room.