STILL A CONTENDER: Why the Tampa Bay Lightning are STILL Among NHL’s Elite Despite Quiet Offseason

STILL A CONTENDER: Why the Tampa Bay Lightning are STILL Among NHL’s Elite Despite Quiet Offseason

It’s been a quiet off season for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Did they do enough to keep themselves at cup contender status? That’s what we’ll talk about today on the Locked On Lightning podcast. You’re Locked on Lightning, your daily podcast on the Tampa Bay Lightning, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. Lightning fans, thank you for making Locked on Lightning your first listen of the day every single day. We are your free daily Tampa Bay Lightning podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. As always, want to start off by shouting out our Everydayers, the fans who tune in to every single show. We appreciate the love and support you give us each and every day. Uh, you’re seeing and listening to two new voices today. This is the first locked on lightning with the brand new co-host team. I’m Nick Morgan. I am joined by the Nikita Cooer off to my Braden Point Greg Steven. Greg, welcome in. Welcome, Nick. It’s going to be a great time. I’m so excited. We have so much to talk about starting off just like in this off season. Not too much going on, but there’s still a lot to chat about. Yeah, there’s a lot of people that said like boring in terms of this off seasonason. Uh I kind of vehemly disagree. I think there is a lot uh to discuss and that includes maybe some of the moves they didn’t make. That’s all the stuff that we’re going to be talking about on today’s show, including some of the best offseason moves of the Lightning did make. I think Greg even wants to shout out somebody they didn’t resign. Yeah, as maybe the offseason moves. I assume, Greg, Lightning fans are going to know who you’re talking about. Uh, we’ll see. But I would guess they also are in agreement with me that, you know, maybe we should not have resigned Nick Pervix. Um, and as we’ve seen, he is departed. Yeah, Barry Trotz in Nashville will disagree. We’ll uh we’ll talk about that quote in a little bit, too. Uh, plus, is there still more work to be done? Does there need to be another move that the Lightning make out there? Uh, all that coming up on today’s show. But first, the million-dollar question, are the Lightnings still a cup contender. That’s been sort of the topic of discussion around the NHL uh in this sort of offseason media cycle. And a lot of people point to Tampa Bay’s what they call quiet off season. Um, and it’s kind of an interesting question, Greg, because going in, I don’t think anybody was expecting a big off seasonason from the Lightning. They didn’t have that much cap space. They were linked to some names. Uh but I I don’t think it was ever a situation in which you were like, “Oh, the Lightning are going to be massive players this year.” Yeah. No, I couldn’t agree more. And you know, it’s difficult to do a lot with so little money, right? And what they have done, I think, is what they could have done so far in the summer. Um given again the money and and so far we haven’t even reached the season yet, right? And a lot of the bigger moves can be made during the season. Um, as far as your original question, are the Lightning a Cup contender? I would say yes. I think they are. Um, I think there are things that need to change in order for that to remain true. Um, and I think this past season we saw a lot of the analysts put them beating the Panthers in the first round, right? And I I thought so too. I thought they that that was my pick. Me too. And obviously biased to some extent as a fan, right? But, you know, I did expect them to at least put up a better fight than what they did. Um, and I think we can discuss what we really thought went wrong as well. I think that’s a big part of are they still a cup contender because you do need to get through the Florida Panthers to be a cup contender. Yeah. And I have something in my best offseason moves that I think is going to compound I think maybe one of the biggest problems in that Panther series, which was depth. Uh, and we’ll talk about in a second, but I just look at how the Lightning are made up, Greg. And it it’s that that top six is still I would say one of the best top six units in the NHL. I mean, I wouldn’t say they’re the best, but I think in terms of quality and the depth of scoring that you get, not from Nikita Cooerov, who’s still an elite scoring winger, but also Brandon Hegel this past year. Um, I I think we’ve seen some big strides from Braden Point kind of becoming that more consistent number one center now that Stamp Coast is in greener pastures. Uh, green in terms of money. Um I and I I think you know you you still have Andre Vasilleski even though I think there’s maybe not as elite of a goalie that he was a couple years ago during that cup run where he was clearly the best goalie in the world but still in the NHL’s top echelon. You have Victor Hedman who’s still very much I think in playing like he’s in his prime. Those are three elements, a a a firestorm top six, a number like an elite number one defenseman and a top tier goalie that the good Stanley Cup teams have and Tampa still has it. And yeah, there there’s going to be some ro uh roster shuffling, especially I think kind of as you get more towards the outer realms of the team’s depth, but you know, this is still the core of the team pretty much in their prime that won two Stanley Cups a couple years ago. Yeah. No, I couldn’t agree more. I think as far as core goes, the Lightning have arguably one of the best, right? I would say maybe the best um outside of potentially the Panthers. They made some great moves this off season. Um, but the Lightning, like you said, they’re sitting on a strong core and while they are aging, you know, they’re they’re early 30s, those core guys you listed. Um, they still have the production in them, and we’ve seen that from Cooch, right? He’s still dropping a 100 points a season right now. And I do expect that to drop off in the next three-ish years, right? Um, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he doesn’t put up a 100 this coming season. Um, do I think he will? I do. Um, now going to the depth, like you had said, you need the depth to win the NHL. You need it. And I think some of the moves they’ve made so far have been a step in the right direction and some, you know, we can talk about further. Um, but as far as you said, the core is there and I think with the right retooling, they are definitely a contender. Yeah. What do you think about the team’s defense right now? Because I think I think when people talk about the whether Tampa Bay is a cup contender or not, it’s it’s they always point to the defense. It’s like, you know, there’s Headman top tier, a little bit low is JJ Moser, and then just a cavalcade of hilarity behind them. Featuring Eric Chernac, right? And you know, I actually love Eric Chernac. I’m glad you mentioned him. I think since he had an injury, I want to say it was two seasons ago in the playoffs, he took a a cheap shot up to the head and in my opinion, ever since that hit, he really hasn’t been the aggressor that he used to be. Um, he still plays strong defense and he is a bit more physical as some of the other defense on the Lightning. Um, but you have seen him take a little bit of that grit off his game and I do wonder if it’s due to injury outside of Churnack and and Hedman as you’ve named and and JJ. Um, I do think some of the younger guys looked better this season. Um, I think there’s significant room for improvement in in many areas, right? I think one of the biggest issues with the Lightning defense right now is just positional play. They just they seem like they’re lost a lot. And I do think that Blash was a big part of that. Um, and again, that’s speculation, but he’s gone now. So, we’ll see this season with a new assistant there how that’s going to function, right? Yeah. Yeah. So, they bring in Dan Highote, who uh I I think a lot of Predators fans, as people know, I used to cover Locked on Predators. I could probably tell you uh a little bit of a mixed bag in terms of what Dan High Note can bring. Uh there’s a lot of positives. Uh that he’s also taken his fair share of criticism when he was in Nashville. So, um interesting to see what he can bring. To me it is just and maybe this is the hot take but do you remember like when Tampa or not Tampa Bay when Toronto kept losing to Boston and then they would have like all those offseason moves that’s like our our goal is to get past Boston like this this is our white whale. Does it feel like Florida’s kind of that for the Lightning right now? Does it feel like that’s maybe the first step where it’s like, okay, how can we match up against the two-time defending cup champions and then after that we’ll see where we stand in the rest of the Eastern Conference? Is that kind of the first step for you? Uh, I think so. Uh, especially given what Florida has done in this off seasonason, they’re just going to be the same juggernaut, right? Um, they’re going to run it back again and rightfully so. And I think that that to that entire I would say the entire conference is is the goal, right? You got to get through the Panthers. And look, you got McDavid probably waiting on the other side after them. But ultimately, you got to get through the Panthers. And I think you’re right. I think they I think they are like that white whale. Um not just to the Lightning, but to many of the teams in the East. Um but I do think the Lightning, if they want to beat the Panthers, there are some big changes they need to make to their game specifically. I think one of those big factors is physicality and and they got bullied this past season, right? They did. And if you’re not going to bring a physical presence and dominate in the physical part of the game, you’re just not going to beat the Panthers. And that’s an area right now the Lightning still lack, right? Yeah, maybe. Because uh we’re going to be talking about an offseason edition that I think maybe Greg adds a little bit of sandpaper uh in the depth part like you were talking about. Adds a little bit of physicality. We’re going to talk about him and some of the other best offseason moves for the Lightning this year coming up in just one second. Want to mention today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. We’ve all been there. Logging onto your computer early and waiting forever for those concert tickets to drop only to lose your spot for a show you’ve been dying to see. It is every music fan’s worst nightmare. Music should be about making memories, not dealing with the stress of ticket shopping. That’s where Game Time comes in. Game Time makes getting concert tickets faster and easier than ever. And prices actually drop as you get closer to Showtime, which means you can save up to 60% off with killer lastminute deals. 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Welcome back to the first episode of the revamped Locked on Lightning podcast. We teased it right before the break, but a couple of big moves that were, I would say, under the radar, Greg, but I think paid big dividends for the Tampa Bay Lightning. So, let’s kind of go through what has been a quote unquote quiet off season uh for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Well, one of the biggest deals, Pontis Holberg, 26-year-old Ford, signing a 2year deal uh coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs. uh just 19 points in 68 games with the Maple Leafs this year. Uh we also had an assist in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Uh not sexy on the stat line, but a lot of Tampa Bay fans are loving the depth he brings, a lot of physicality. A lot of people say he’s a perfect bottom six player. Uh you also have Jacob Pelier who is a 24year-old signed a three-year contract with the Lightning uh this past year from the Philadelphia Flyers. At one point I would say maybe one of the Flames top prospects. Just hasn’t quite figured it out on the NHL level there, but there’s some potential there. Uh and then the other one is the legend returns. Tampa Bay Lightning legend uh Boris Kachchuck coming back. Florida, you’re not the only one with a Kachchuck. We’ve got one now. Uh he comes back two two year could be a AHL level deal, but he could fight for a uh I guess one of those like depth spots, extra forward spots. Um yeah. So, in terms of additions, Greg, how you feeling about those three names I just mentioned? Um, I think given the money the Lightning did have to spend so far in this off seasonason, um, I would say fine moves, I don’t think any of these players is going to make or break how the Lightning perform in the postseason necessarily. Um, as far as preferring the signings, I think Holberg is one of the better ones. Um, I do agree with I think what you had said where a lot of people view him as a as a strong bottom six uh, forward and I think that’s I think that’s accurate. I think that’s fair to say. I don’t think he was given a ton of time when he was up in Toronto, right? Um, which is justified. You know, they also have a very strong core, right? Um, so expecting him to see 20 minutes of ice time is unrealistic. Um, but expecting him to play maybe, you know, 10 to 15 minutes, I think, is fairly reasonable. Um, I also think he is one of those guys that you see the effort level in all his shifts. Um, and I think that’s very important in hockey. Um, you know, you want a guy that’s going to go out there and give you 100% every single shift, not just on the shifts that he thinks he’s going to make a difference, right? Um, so I think that’s very important to the Lightning. Um, one signing I I do enjoy that I think we missed was Gage is coming back as well. Gage. Yes, Gage. And I actually I actually would say that that is my favorite move so far. Um, Gage looked absolutely incredible in the second half of the season. Um he was just remarkable. He and in the postseason he put up four points in five games. And I think Cooch had also put up four points in five games. So look, he’s not Cooerov, but I mean the kid the kid did his job right and and he did it well. So I’m looking forward to seeing what Gage does. Um he looked like he really settled in through the second half. Yeah, I I I want to touch on him in a little bit because I I I think it’s fair to say, Greg, if you’re looking at somebody on this roster that you look and say breakout candidate right there, like that’s somebody who’s I think ready to take a next step, it would be Gage, overage Gage, right? Because you mentioned it, he played so well, I think, with some of the Lightning’s bigger guns, you know, opposite Brandon Hegel. I know both Nick Paul and Anthony Sharelli Sarelli had sort of time in that middle of the lineup as that number two center last year, but he fit in so well with both of them. And for a team like the Lightning where there’s so much talent, part of your success is just going to be how you gel with some of those bigger names. A and I think a lot of people uh when Gage kind of got shuffled up to a top six role last year maybe rightfully skeptical, but he he proved uh he proved he can handle it. Yeah. No, absolutely. And look, he like you said, he’s going to take a big step forward this season, I think. And I think we’re going to see him play a lot more minutes, too. And I I look forward to it because I think I think he is going to establish himself as a a more reliable forward for the team and I it’s great because he’s young and assuming he sticks around he’s great for the future as well. Yeah. And you need those guys too. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think especially as you kind of come into this situation that we did this off season where it was what 3.4 3.5 in cap space or something like that, right? um when you have as much of the roster locked up long term uh as JBB does, you’re gonna have to find guys kind of organically like they have with Gage and you’re going to have to find guys that are ready to sort of step up and take that next role. Kind of like Nick Paul was uh when they you know when they got him for the Senators was kind of just sort of that bottom guy has sort of elevated his game into being somebody who can really play strong in that middle six. uh you know just like you know when you know Steven Samos was hurt during those uh two cup years that’s when Braden Point really took the next step that’s when Anthony Celli really took the next step I I’m looking for Gage to maybe be that guy this year but I want to backtrack a little bit I want to talk more about Pontis Holberg because to me that I think is sort of the underrated new addition of the year for me and you kind of mentioned it when they lost to the Panthers last year in the first round the biggest criticism was they were getting outplayed physically and it sort of looks like they just kind of ran out of steam. You know, somebody on Reddit sort of joked and it’s like, “Oh my god, a bottom six signing who’s under 30 years old. Is JB okay, man?” Um, but but one uh one Toronto fan chimed in on Reddit to kind of sum this up and just said, “Lightning fans, you’re going to love this guy. He’s a Swiss Army knife.” and he is, you know, he’s somebody that I think is sort of a chameleon how he plays. Um, he’s going to be a fourthline guy slotted in. He’s going to physical, he’s going to forche, he’s going to win a lot of loose pucks. He’s going to be the guy that Lightning kind of put out there for minutes. Uh, and with the with the mantra of just don’t screw anything up. And I don’t mean that in a bad thing. I think you need players like that on your team. Um, but but I also think like, hey, there’s an injury up front, somebody’s out. He’s somebody that I think can go in there and kind of be like the quasi fill in and just get kind of give a physical presence to I’m just bit here like, you know, alongside Braden Point and Nikita Cutro just sort of be like the, you know, the grinder that just kind of opens up space for them if there’s an injury or, you know, Gensel gets shuffled around, whatever that situation may be. That’s a guy that I think is going to be a big piece for the Lightning this year. Yeah, couldn’t agree more. I think like what you’re saying all comes down to effort level and like you said, if he needs to fill a role where he needs to retrieve pucks, he’s going to do it. If he needs to go out there and forch check hard, he’s going to do it. And I think, like you said, the word chameleon. I think that’s a great descriptor for him. He’s just he’s a guy that can fill in a lot of different roles when needed. Um, and I think look, the Lightning have been known to develop players excellently, right? We’ve seen it happen over the last decade, right? And and not that he and he has some experience under his belt, too, right? He’s not like a fresh guy coming in by any means, but yeah, there is still room for him to grow and I think this is a great organization for him to develop even further. And, you know, ideally he ships up to be like a gauge almost, you know, and and he kind of takes that next step with Gage. It’d be awesome to see. Yeah. Uh, two quick transactions we didn’t really mention. Uh, that’s coming up in just a second. One is the Isaac Howard deal. Uh, Greg, I know you have some thoughts on that. And, uh, is there any sort of I already know the answer, but I’m going to tease it anyway, Greg. Is there any sort of, uh, regret of not bringing Nick Pervix back for any deal? Plus, we’ll mention one move that we think the Lightning still have to make. That’s coming up when we come back from Locked on Lightning. All right, we’re back. Unlocked on Lightning. Greg, a couple of quick offseason transactions that I want to touch on real quick. Uh, one is the Isaac Howard saga. Uh, from all accounts, didn’t really want to play in Tampa, the Hobie Baker winner, and said going to the Edmonton Oilers, uh, in exchange for Sam O’Reilly, one of the Oilers top prospects. Uh, real quick, how how do you think about how this played out? It’s interesting. I I I think it’s one of those things where we will never truly know all the the fine details. Um, it does seem like the Lightning and Isaac did not agree on something. Um, what that is is to be determined or to never be known, right? Yeah. Um, I think I don’t I will say there were rumors that it was about him maybe not being guaranteed a top six spot, which is crazy when you’re coming into the Tampa Bay Lightning, right? No, you’re absolutely right. And it I’ve read that as well. Um, it’s tough to say if that’s true, right? We until it comes out of someone’s mouth that is part of this transaction, you know, it’s speculative, right? But let’s say that is true, then I I would say I’m glad he’s gone. Um because at a certain point you got to let the ego go and I’d rather have guys who are ready to try and win a cup than guys who are trying to guarantee themselves playing time. Um you know Cooch is a hard worker, right? He he wants to win. You can see it on his face. People misconstrue Cooch’s emotions for you know him being angry and stuff but he’s really trying to get better, right? And that’s you want guys like that. And I don’t I don’t want a guy on the team that’s going to show up and look at his personal stats all day, right? That’s not what we’re looking for. Yeah. Yeah. So, that’s who he is. Look, good riddance. Um, that being said, it probably could have been handled better overall. It just like from the fan perspective, it’s just so confusing how a guy like this could get away, right? Um, so you do wonder where the where the miscommunication was between the team and Isaac. But again, speculative. Yeah, you kind of wonder if it’s going to be one of those situations where JB takes the brunt of this or if it’s uh cutter gothier right in Philadelphia and just that level of booze. Um we’ll say really like Sam O’Reilly. Um, I don’t I don’t think maybe that explosive high-end like Isaac Hower had, but I think he’s translate to somebody who also is named O’Reilly, Ryan O’Reilly, just sort of that guy who’s ex, you know, maybe not explosive or excels in any one area, but is really, really solid in a lot of different aspects of the game. So, I do think the Lightning made out uh with a prospect, you know, as best of a prospect as they could have could had from this situation. Agree. Um, couple of key subtractions I would say, Greg. Uh, the biggest one, uh, Nick Perick signing a 2-year deal, uh, with the Nashville Predators on July 1st. This is apparently a guy Barry Trotz who is just poaching the Tampa Bay roster at this point. Yeah. uh really wanted to bring he made a made some sort of reference to Pervix’s maybe not being used the right way in Tampa which I am whatever way he was being used Greg is was is certainly something yeah look there’s a lot of lot of angles I would take here I think the first is let’s look at the coaching for the Lightning in this past season for defense right they looked awful. Um, just guys out of position left and right, not just not just Nick Pervix, right? A lot of them, they were just consistently not in the right spots, a lot of blown coverages, and anyone who’s followed me talk about the Lightning for a long time has seen me point these out in plays, right? It’s very important to understand where these missed missed opportunities are coming, right? That being said, if you look at Nick Pervix’s highlight reel, he is out of position more than anyone on the roster. Um, and he’s he he let a lot of goals in in the postseason as well. Um, look, it’s a team effort. It’s never one guy’s fault, but he did make a lot of errors. And I I don’t necessarily disagree with the fact that maybe he was being used the wrong way. I think that goes back to the coaching. Again, like I kind of view him almost as like a Evan Buchard type where his defensive upside is much lower than maybe a a real defenseman, but he’s got that offensive capability and I I don’t deny that at all. Um, but look, the Lightning didn’t need that and that’s why he wasn’t used that way, right? Like we don’t need him to score goals. So, a guy who’s out there trying to score goals as a defenseman was not not the fit. And I think it’s good that he’s gone for the Lightning. And it’s probably good for Nick Pervix that he’s gone as well. He’s going to get a better role where he’s going, you know? Yeah. Uh to to bring it home to a Lightning, he was he kind of gave off a little bit of a Mark Andre Berseron vibe. Sure. Whereas just I I think there’s a lot of good offensive tools. I think he was a good puck mover. Um, you know, I think he was like somebody that you could probably put out there on that if you needed to that second power play unit just for, you know, sort of quarterback move from the back end. Um, I don’t I don’t think he was obviously he was the guy that caught most of the fan higher, but you know, I I think there’s a lot of potential there. Um, who knows? You know, Andrew Bernett and crew could unlock it in Nashville, kind of make him more of a solid guy. uh which you know they’ve they’ve done it with a couple players you know Jeremy Lison mostly on the back end. So uh best of luck to Nick Perix uh and what he I guess will bring to the Nashville Predators. Yeah. And you know what I’d like to sneak in something here as well. You know Nick Pervix gets a ton of hate online and look he is a great guy. He does so much for the community and a lot of charity stuff. He’s just a great person and you know his his personality is not tied to how he played hockey. So let’s let’s cool it with the hate on the man, you know. Agree. Agree. No, that’s a very good point. Yeah. Uh good guy overall. Nick Perpicks. Uh Greg, I do want to touch on real quick the uh I guess maybe one move you would still like to see from the Lightning this year. Uh or do you look at this roster and be like, “Okay, we’re this is as good as we could have get. We’re done.” Is there still a move out there? I think there is. I think what we what we want to see is a a big name defenseman added to the Lightning, right? And I think there are sacrifices that need to be made in order to make that happen given the amount of money remaining, right? I don’t think you can just go out and sign a guy right this second. Um I think it’s going to be something that will happen, you know, around the holidays, maybe around the deadline. We’ll see where they’re at, right? We we got to see who gets injured and all these things. There’s so many factors. That being said, I do think we need a large name defenseman. Um, and I do also believe that that means sacrificing someone that we all love. Um, my best guess, if I had to give you one, would be Nick Paul. I think he’s maybe on his way out for trade value. Um, I do think he slightly regressed this past season. I don’t think it was significant by any means, but he definitely didn’t contribute the way he has in the past couple years. Um, so I think we’ll maybe see him on the move for a better defensive piece, but we’ll see. We’ll see. I do I do think no matter what, they do need to add a strong defenseman. I I think it’s imperative. Yeah. You mentioned uh one guy you didn’t mention is somebody who’s actually been in the subject of trade rumors, and that’s Ryan Mcdana. That’s actually what we’re going to be talking about a little bit on next Monday’s show. So, this upcoming episode, we’re going to dive into some of those Ryan McDonald trade rumors. Uh, but but Greg, I’m I’m with you 100%. And I look at this roster and I still say defense. That to me is the number one thing that I think is going to kind of be the X factor and how well the Lightning do this year. Um it sounds like it could be, you know, sort of a hodgepodge back there, especially when it comes to that last pair. Uh there’s been a lot of talk maybe Max Croer who had a few games with the Lightning last year and has kind of been a mainstay in Syracuse for the past couple years. he’s somebody that can come up and maybe play a couple different roles. It’ll be interesting to see them. But yeah, I mean that was I think to me kind of one of the things that you looked at last year in that playoff series with Florida and just that that’s that’s a spot where the Lightning are getting burned a little bit. Uh you know, and you especially saw it once they, you know, once Florida brought in, you know, Seth Jones for some extra depth. you just you just could kind of see that uh their their bottom pair was just way elite compared to the Lightning’s bottom pair. That’s Oh, certainly. Oh, yeah. And and that’s something I think uh is maybe the biggest thing holding them back. But, as you mentioned, that’s going to be tough because I don’t think they can make a big move without sacrificing somebody. Uh there was talk maybe they were going to take a swing at, you know, Keandre Miller when he was up on the block uh earlier this year. It’s just tough because you’re in a situation where you don’t have a lot of money to spend. Um you’re kind of committed to this roster at least for one more year in terms of just the flexibility and contract. So it is going to be tough whatever they do. Yeah, I completely agree. And and I think like you said, you’re committed to this roster for a little bit here. U and I think the performance is going to determine Cooch’s next signing as well. So, we’ll see. Which is kind of a scary thought, but terrifying. Terrifying. Yeah. H Well, certainly a lot of offseason stuff to talk about for the Tampa Bay Lightning this year. Hey, this was our first show. Uh thank you everybody for joining us. We have so much to talk about this year. We’re going to be going through uh some of the Lightning roster as the weeks come on. We’re going to be previewing the weeks ahead. Uh we’re also going to be checking in with our friendmies. We’re going to be having some crossovers uh with the rest of the uh locked on Atlantic Division crew. So stay tuned for that. Plus any news and notes that pop up, we’ll be here bringing it to you. For the meantime though, that’s going to do it for today’s Locked On Lightning podcast. Thank you for making us your first listen. Now for your second listen, go check out the Locked On NHL podcast. There’s no offseason, but they’re still bringing you daily leaguewide stories that matter most with local coverage from Locked On. You can find Locked On NHL on YouTube or anywhere you listen to podcast. That’s it for today’s show for Greg Steven. I’m Nick Morgan. We will be back here Monday with an all new episode of Locked on Lightning. We’ll see you then.

Locked on Lightning is BACK with new co-hosts… and a lot of offseason drama to catch up on! In their debut episode, Nick Morgan and Greg Stephen review the Tampa Bay Lightning’s quiet, yet productive offseason moves and explain why — yes — those moves are enough for Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the rest of the Lightning core to keep their status as a Cup contender.

We also look at the re-signing of Gage Goncalves and the additions of Pontus Holmberg, Jakob Pelletier, and Boris Katchouk and debate which move might be the X-Factor in getting the Lightning over the Florida Panthers-shaped hump in the Atlantic Division. Plus, we look at the one area of the Lightning roster that still needs improvement before the season starts.

STILL A CONTENDER: Why the Tampa Bay Lightning are STILL Among NHL’s Elite Despite Quiet Offseason

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Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
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