The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced their roster for training camp, with media day taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
It’s time to look into storylines to watch as we get into training camp and how they could shape the upcoming regular season.
Eyes Are on Sam O’Reilly
Isaac Howard is out west in Edmonton now, but the storyline surrounding the one the Lightning acquired in return remains in Tampa. I’m sure he doesn’t want to be associated with this trade for any longer than he has to, but for now, it’s a major factor in why he’s going to have eyes on him.
Sam O’Reilly enters training camp following an appearance in the Prospect Tournament over the weekend, where in three games over four days, he tallied an assist. That’s not much to show on the scoresheet, but he showed more of what he could do elsewhere. On that assist, part of his effort was helping the puck in the offensive zone, allowing Ethan Czata to score against the Nashville Predators prospects.
He also played a role on the penalty kill and was able to clear the puck out from in front of the net.
He’s been advertised as a two-way forward, and we got a taste of it early. As he gets into training camp, he’ll have the chance to get some more work in ahead of preseason action.
Brandon Hagel Eager to Respond After Another Anemic Playoffs
He’s obviously not the only star wanting to get past the first round again. However, Brandon Hagel stands out for a particular reason.
Last time we saw him, he exited Game 4 of the first round after suffering a concussion on a brutal hit from Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
He said during media day that the concussion didn’t affect his offseason plans, and he spent another summer working with Nikita Kucherov. That work earned him a career-high 90 points last season, and he’s likely going to push for 100 this season. However, the focus is on what comes after the regular season.
Since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2022, when he arrived in Tampa Bay ahead of the trade deadline, Hagel hasn’t seen his team win more than two playoff games.
Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
“We’ve gone out in the first round a little too many times, and I think coming back this year,” he said during media day on Wednesday. “There’s just got to be a bigger standard. We set a big standard here. (Head coach Jon Cooper) does a good job at that every single season anyways, but eventually it comes down to the players, and that’s us.”
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The sentiment of needing to do better in the playoffs was shared by multiple Lightning star players, including Kucherov and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. These are players who have been there before. They’ve either won Stanley Cups or gotten close enough to taste it.
How the last three seasons have panned out, especially against a Panthers team they used to have their number on, should provide extra motivation. Whether they actually will get over the top won’t be known until playoff time.
First Look at New Lightning Depth Pieces
An effort during the Lightning’s “quiet” offseason to focus on improving depth while maintaining cap space. Without any splashes like they made the year before, they added some forward depth with intention for some to be in the longer-term plan.
Two standout additions are forwards Pontus Holmberg and Jakob Pelletier. Both were signed to multi-year contracts, with Holmberg already projected to be part of the Lightning’s bottom six, according to PuckPedia.
Pelletier is seen as extra depth for now. The first year of his contract is two-way before becoming a one-way deal the following two years. We should expect him to see some action, but how soon depends on performance and need.
Nick Paul was announced to be out until early November. If Pelletier gives a good impression during training camp and preseason, maybe he’ll get a chance to step up.
Another season is upon us, and the Lightning will look to show they’re still the same contender that won back-to-back Stanley Cups. They have some promising youth and potential depth, but the time has arrived to see how they’ll complement the proven stars on the team.
