The Lightning aim to lengthen their Stanley Cup window for as long as possible with their existing core.
The Lightning finished the 2022-23 season with the eighth-best offenSe in the NHL. They averaged 3.41 goals per game, right between the seventh-place Dallas Stars and the ninth-place Maple Leafs. It was the third consecutive year that they finished eighth or ninth in the NHL in scoring. The league grew accustomed to Tampa Bay simply being one of the better offensive teams, but not the best.
As it stands right now, the Lightning still own a pretty good forward group. The core of Steven Stamkos, Kucherov, and Point is intact and players like Conor Sheary, Tanner Jeannot, Luke Glendening, and Tyler Motte have been brought in to plug up the holes in their overall depth. The acquisition of Nick Paul has paid off and he remains one of the better third-line centers in the league.
During the six game-series against the Maple Leafs, Vasilevskiy put up a 3.56 GAA and .875 SV%. Those are awful numbers whichever way you slice it, and it makes you wonder if, like Hedman, Vasilevskiy has simply played too much hockey over the last five years and ran out of gas. Luckily for them both, the silver lining is that because of their short-lived playoff run they had the chance to have a long and relaxing summer and should be the most rested they’ve been in four years.