The hope among Lightning fans was that a lengthy off-season resulting from a first-round loss at the hands of Toronto yields a refreshed core hungry to make another Stanley Cup run.
That hope hit a speedbump during the early stages of training camp when it was announced one of the core members, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, will be out a least two months as he recovers from surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. Back injuries and goalies are not a good mix, so it should surprise nobody if the 2018-19 Vezina winner and four-time finalist has lingering issues. That said, his return, even if it is not until a couple of weeks or so into 2024, could provide the Lightning with a huge boost.
What we know is Jonas Johansson, signed to a two-year deal ($775,000 per) in June, will be between the pipes Tuesday against Nashville at Amalie Arena when the curtain rises (5:30, ESPN) on the 2023-24 campaign. The 28-year-old Johansson, who has played bits and pieces of four seasons with three teams, has a career mark of 11-13-4 with 3.35 GAA in 35 games.
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While the cap crunch continued to peck away at the Bolts with Alex Killorn (free agent, Anaheim), Pat Maroon (trade, Minnesota) and Ross Colton (trade, Colorado) departing, a core of forwards Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point and defenseman Victor Hedman remains intact and, depending on the Big Cat’s health, keeps the window open with respect to another title run.
While their names may not glisten on the marquee like those of the core, forwards Brandon Hagel, a 30-scorer in his first full season in a Bolts uniform and signed to an eight-year extension in August, and Anthony Cirelli and defenseman Mikhail Sergachev are no less critical.
Beside Johansson, new faces include forwards Conor Sheary, Luke Glendenning and Tyler Motte and defenseman Calvin de Haan. Each was signed in the off-season and provides a veteran presence – Motte is the youngest at 28 — with Sheary boasting a pair of Stanley Cup rings from his time in Pittsburgh.
Waltteri Merela, a 25-year-old Finn who appears set to make his North American debut Tuesday, is another new face on a Tampa Bay team that has plenty of them. Certainly, the team that takes the ice for coach Jon Cooper, entering his 11th full season behind the Tampa Bay bench, will look much different than the one that skated off the ice April 29 after shaking hands with the Leafs.
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What must look different is the level of responsibility. Last year’s squad too often shot itself in the foot when it came to carelessness in its own zone and neutral ice. Vasilevskiy will not be around to clean up the mess, so the Lightning must be as crisp as possible. That, more than anything, could determine their fate, at least during the 2023 portion of the schedule.
Speaking of the schedule, after opening against the Predators, the Bolts travel to Ottawa (Saturday), Detroit (Sunday), and Buffalo (next Tuesday) before returning to Amalie next Thursday to host Vancouver.
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