My Analysis of the Tampa Bay Lightning

So close is probably close enough, but for Tampa Bay Lightning fans like myself, you can't help but think if they had just gotten two goals in Game 7 versus the Bruins, they would have been playing in the Stanley Cup Finals versus the Canucks and not the Bruins. But unfortunately that didn't happen and now the Lightning are out and Lightning fans are just hoping that Boston loses to the Canucks so that it can be justified, right?

Absolutely. Many Lightning fans are now hoping that the Bruins lose to the Canucks so that they can gloat and boast at the Bruins all day about not winning the Cup. But that's what I'm writing about today. Today, the Lightning need to look towards the future. And today, I'll talk particularly about their goaltending and their free agency, but all in all, I'll talk about the team too.

So what do we learn from the Tampa Bay Lightning going forward? Well, certainly we learned that this team is for real again because of guys like Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, and Steven Stamkos stepping up during the season and in the playoffs as well. Offense and the power-play units was the key on this team as they have produced most of their goals on that power-play unit.

Steven Stamkos almost had 50 goals and probably the Rocket Richard trophy at the end of the season, but in the end, Corey Perry (on my first favorite team the Anaheim Ducks) won the Rocket and he or St. Louis might win the Hart Trophy.

But going back to the Lightning, I think their offense has dramatically improved this season and I think that will carry over into next season. However, they will be matched again by Pittsburgh and Washington, especially when Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin come by to Pittsburgh, so it might be a bit of a struggle next season.



In terms of free agency, there are reports coming around that Brad Richards might possibly come back to the Lightning for a reunion with Lecavalier. I haven't seen much of Richards this season so I wouldn't know how good of a player he can be for the Lightning or how much of an upgrade it's going to make this team. But my guess is that he'll probably continue his offensive form as he had always done when he was with the Stars and with the Lightning a few seasons ago.

The goaltending situation was tricky in Game 5 as coach Guy Boucher put in Mike Smith instead of Dwayne Roloson. I didn't think it was a great idea, since Roloson had done a pretty fine job in goal in the second half of the regular season and the playoffs. But people all over Tampa kind of speculate sometimes. In fact, some fans are suggesting that the Lightning acquire Ilya Bryzgalov from the Coyotes when he becomes a free agent in July. It would sound like a reasonable acquisition since we don't know if Roloson will retire anytime soon, although he hasn't given us the information and probably won't. As for Bryzgalov, the Flyers are pretty hungry to get a goaltender that can play and definitely the two goaltenders they have in Philly certainly don't add up for this team, so the Lightning might be on the short end of acquire Ilya, but then again, anything is possible.

The Lightning have some work to do if they are to take that next step to the Stanley Cup. Whether it be from the coach, the front office, or the players, there's going to be some changes that are going to be made, and general manager Steve Yzerman knows what to do in order to make this team a Stanley Cup-winning team.