Are the Tampa Bay Lightning Still Cup Contenders? 

I think they’re in the 2019-present Capitals and Penguins eras. They’ll keep making the playoffs over the next few years but I wouldn’t expect a ton of success.

Considering how great the players are who left after the cups, it’s actually pretty impressive the remaining team can still make the postseason. Probably no team has lost more depth.

Reminds me of the post-Lidstrom era Red Wings.

The window isn't completely closed, but it's going to take a whole host of cards falling the correct way for an actual run to happen again with the current core. Regardless, nearly a decade of contending from 2015-2024ish, not bad. Couple years of retooling and some cap elevating, and the team could compete again the post Stammer/Hedman era.

Worth noting that they missed the playoffs in 2017 by like one point after a sizzling hot finish nearly got them in.

Hedman had over 70 points, and was a +18. At 33, I would say there is good hockey still left. Look how good Pronger, and Chara were at that age. Kucherov is 5 years younger than Marchand, and Crosby. Vasilevsky should still be in his prime for another 3-4 years. In addition to Point, 28, as their elite center, and Sergachev who is a young skillful defenseman. Tampa will have to sort out their depth, but they still have prized pieces to build around for at least 5 more years. They aren't "old".

That list of players that have left the team is a good roster by itself

I would add the loss of Lalonde to the list of those gone. Their defense has struggled the past couple of seasons and it's not just because of the players they lost.

Tampa Bay Lightning legend: Korn

As a Tampa resident and Lightning fan. We had 3 epic seasons. Yes, one ended in heartbreak. But so close to 3 in a row. I'll always remember this run. Some of the most fun I've ever had watching hockey. I think the window has closed for now. But I would not be shocked if we won another if Cooper, Stamkos, and Vassy stay. Along with Kuch and whatnot.

They are still capable of winning another cup without Stamkos, but their window will be fully closed without Hedman.

My take is that the small chance they had was given in that Jeannot trade. That trade did not work out at all in my opinion, and they dont have the draft picks nor assets necessary to trade to get some depth I believe. Cause the core still played well in the Florida series, they were largely let down by the fact that if Hedman/Kuch/Stamkos werent on the ice, it was game over. Whereas before they had guys like Palat, Cirelli and Johnson, plus McDonagh on the blue line

I personally believe that Vasy (understandably because of the competitive player he is) came back too soon. I think he should have rested his back a tad longer. I also understand why he wanted to try all pursuits of therapy before choosing surgery, but the late decision to have it was definitely a factor. I believe he'll be in better form next season. The team has played A LOT of hockey the past half decade.

Cooper is a great coach. Bolts will be in the hunt again next season!

Players get older and that's just how time works except sometimes for kucharov and sometimes for Ovechkin. Also there was that Time yagr all the sudden got 10 years younger and put up a thousand points in a season

Season ticket holder from day 1. Sounds about right. Great chemistry with players who are gone. Basic monetary facts. Vassy was surely affected by surgery. He was so much of the wins, its hard to explain. You just have to see his magic at full health.

I think TBL needs a revamp. Lost their bench, older stars. You always lose your bench when you start winning. Stamkos will retire a Bolt and should.

Lightning still have serious pieces.

Kuch adds to his legend-- Vasi, Stamkos, Hedman, a core that won Cups, along with those third and fourth liners that get moved.

Blat and corn, the undisputed tempa legend XD

I love how he shoehorned in a brief explanation of the concept of time lol

As a Lightning fan, I was really hoping for a Tampa/Winnipeg cup final in 2018 as those are my 2 favorite teams from each conference. This year sucked for me also as the Hockey gods haven't liked me in '18 or '24 year. Crazy that all 3 of THG teams are still in it

Tampa probably could win a cup if Vassy got hot enough, but he hasnt looked the same last few years.

How do you replace Stamkos, but how can you afford to give him the term and AAV he desires? Players don’t usually sign TWO team friendly deals in their careers. Hedman only has a year left and he’s been underpaid as well.

The most beautiful jersey in the ,yet that i can never seem to get my hands on one

Stammer will be back for a 3 year deal somewhere I the 5-6mil range. He's getting older, he's made his money and knows he needs to leave some on the table for the team tocbe competitive

Things will look a lot better for the Lightning next season if they can sign Marchessault in the next few months. That's my prediction. They work out a multi-team player trade and Marchy ends up returning to the team that believed in him originally as a rookie.

For me the original Yzerman McDonagh/Miller and Sergachev trades laid the foundations for the cups. I know Brisebois made some crucial additions that got them over the line but both the Sergachev contract and Jeannot trade since are steps backwards

Tampas always going to be competitive

Are you going to do the kings as well?? Or did i miss that video?

Shannon go listen to his exit interview Stankos talking about Kucherov , Hedman Point taking less than market it's the TB way.

I think the Jeannot trade would've made everyone look silly if he hadn't already been carrying a bunch of well-concealed concussion baggage. He can't fight anymore and he's a shell of his former self. Bad luck on probably a shrewd, but excessively risky move.

As a Lightning fan, I think the answer to the title is no, but they can be with the right leadership decisions. The depth is god-awful, and our defense is awful. I think losing one of the only parts of this team that is known to work, Stamkos and Cooper, could be disastrous, but maybe a big shake-up could help. I really don't know what they can do, but as someone who has been a fan of the game since 2010 and watched them go to the finals in 2015 and then two years later not make the playoffs, this team can bounce back. It is possible that 2024-25 might be a worse year than this one. There is very little wiggle room this year for major changes to the lines, especially with no good draft picks or cap space. It could be time for a rebuild, in which case maybe Stamkos and Cooper leaving isn't so bad.

The window is sadly more than likely closed, but I feel like they’re gonna retool for another run as they added back mcdonagh and sergachev will be healthy next year. Still tons of talent we’ll have to see the 2021 run showed how important depth was

Winnipeg Jets should at least talk to Jon Cooper since the entire hockey world is saying Berube will likely go to the Leafs

The group still there in their 20s looks decent enough, Point/ Cirelli/ Hagel/ Paul/ Sergachev/ Cernak plus Vasi would already form a strong #1C, top 6 wing, two top 6 C, and two top-4 D. Fill out the fringes well and they're at least competent

Sadly a lot of fans discredit Kucherov. He deserves to be mentioned amongst the best in the league. Some fans just hate him and the lightning. They will call people insane for comparing him to McDavid, Mackinnon etc

bolts fan from 🇬🇧the run is over time for a retool 💙

They need a young superstar like Macklin Celebrini and they will be back as favourites. But they likely don't have assets to acquire.

One more year of tight cap for JBB and then its free-wheeling in 25-26. He has proven he can find diamonds and with a with the top 6 forwards still being elite, the best Goalie in the world, and two horses still on the blue line this team is not even close to a closed door. Syracuse is on a deep playoff run right now so the lack of young depth is not nearly the problem people think it is. Projecting Stammer at $9 Million is absolutely hilarious!! He'll be playing for $5 Million. I love picking apart the Jeanot trade without pointing out all the other moves JBB made that made other GM's look stupid. Also, way too much stock is put on first round picks in the NHL outside of the top 5 and JBB has shown that he builds value with proven assets that fit their mold rather than younger kids that have yet to show they can play at the NHL level. Are the Bolts winning the Cup in 25? No. Can they be there in 26? Absolutely. Oh, and the Leafs Suck!!!!!!

Dude all the depth we've lost would make a decent squad

I get a little bit of 2016/17 Chicago Blackhawk’s vibes from them after this season. It’ll be interesting to see if they’re going to retain Stamkos or not but if they can’t maybe it feels more like the blackhawks at the end of their dominance where they lost a big piece up front in Panarin and an injury to Vasy completely derails their playoff chances like what happened to Crawford. I’m not a lightning fan and I don’t exactly keep up with them much but maybe they’re better now than Chicago was then but they have questions to be answered going forward. I think they can be right back in that mix again but this will be a big off season for them nonetheless.

Love the old school lightning gear Shannon.

3 chips within 10 years should be considered a dynasty or at least 3 in 5, Black Hawks to me count as one in the 2010s

"Are you keeding me?"

Best way hint they can do is trade Stamkos and Hedmen to the highest bidder while they still have value.

I think the "window" is closed. They kinda remind me of the Red wings in the early 2010s, where they were a playoff team looking to get hot at the right time. But, unless they get that depth back (which I think is unlikely due to the cap), I think their run is over. I agree with you that they need to start acquiring draft pick and prospects, not trading them. I hope Stamkos and Hedman stay for the rest of their careers, they've earned it, but they need to start thinking about the future. Go Lightning! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

losing that goated third line from 2021 was what really killed us. slowly losing everything else didn't help much either. the top guys are great but we dont have any depth. i would be happy missing the next couple playoffs and giving it another go with some new pieces. go bolts ⚡️⚡️⚡️

I know of an older sports newspaper writer who vehemently insists that a sports dynasty should be defined similarly to a dynasty of kings, which is a series of leaders from the same family or clan or whatever. A sports dynasty would be a franchise that has had multiple stretches of winning by entirely different rosters. By this definition, the New England Patriots would not be a dynasty, since all the Super Bowls were won by the same coach and quarterback. The Canadiens teams of the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s would all be one dynasty, as would the Yankees of MLB and the Lakers and Celtics of the NBA. I don't know about other possible dynasties from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Tampa still has one of the best rosters in the league, but there are some big gaps on the blue line and there was a big lack of effort in the playoffs this year. They are still good enough to make some deep runs but I’m not sure how many years they have left with the core.

tampa mentioned go bolts

If stamkos doesn't come back on a team friendly deal then it's kind of a disaster. Either he albatrosses the team with a huge contract or he leaves for nothing when they could've traded him at the deadline.

Their time as contenders is over, but I could see them retool and be right back in the mix.

Nah the window is closed. Idk if the lightning even make the playoffs next year, kuch had to have a miracle szn to drag us there. Big changes are coming to Tampa i believe

Kucherov, Hedman and Point are elite game breaking talents and Stammer should be good for 30-plus goals every year until he’s in his late 30s. If Vasy rediscovers his game then Tampa could easily make another Cup run. Their middle six and defense corps require some upgrades too, in my opinion, but I don’t think that’s an impossibility by any stretch.

I still believe this core has one more deep playoff run in them. Even if it doesn't result in another Stanley Cup, the Lightning have had more success in the past decade than any other team by a long shot and I can take solace in that.

If we get stammer signed around 5to 6. Trade Cernak and perbix. That will free up over 6 trad for a big D some one like Chychrun gives us 4 to 5 good shooting defensemen. And 1 or 2 bottom 6 forwards via trade and free agent. Should be fine. My opinion

To me, they are at their best a 3rd/wildcard contender barring a single injury to the 4 players who drive the team. Stamkos will be back at a team friendly contract

I think Tampa will keep slowly declining until eventually a rebuild happens just like Vegas. Both were built for short-term success and won it all, but now the cost of trading away good draft picks starts to hurt in the long-term.

If they keep stammers than they would be serious about the next cup run. Stammer is the greatest lightning of all time and would be dishonorable to let him play somewhere else.

they wouldn’t have gotten those cups without corn

I think they are. Too much star power that have been playing well as they age. I think the forward depth and defensive depth needs to be sorted to a degree. I don't think Blashill should be their defensive coach, another option there would be a good idea. With the cap going up it could easily help them figure out resigning Stammer and Heddy plus sort the depth with a trade if needed to help.

Not the team they used to be for sure, but I don't really take much from bowing out to the Panthers, that team is putting up 5-6 on the Bruins too. EDIT: On the separate note, the time to stop trading first round picks was 2 seasons ago for JBB.

Yes

As a Lightning fan, honestly, I’m ok if this core doesn’t have another deep run in them. I wouldn’t mind missing the playoffs for the next few year if it means retooling and competing for another cup in 5 years or so. Point is, I don’t wanna be the mid teens to early 20’s Red Wings and I honestly think that these players have already done so much.

BrieBois has to acquire some quality depth beyond the core and Nick Paul. The depth that carried the Bolts to 2 Cup titles is gone. I'm not sure how many more runs Stammer, Heddy, Kuch and Vasy have in them, so BriseBois needs to choose wisely.

they need to do a few serious changes to make themselves contenders again. They got their titles on the back of just smothering their opponents with insane offense, they dont have that ability anymore.

Ngl instead of being first round exits every year like capitals and penguins, rebuild would be more fun for me ngl lmaoo

They’re not far away from 110 points in the regular season, but also not far from 88 points. Playoff miss is very possible.

Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos (he's staying), Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Nick Paul, Erik Cernak, Andrei Vasilevskiy. That's a hell of a core. Add in Jon Cooper and I'd say the door is wide, wide, open. They got exhausted going to three finals in a row (winning two), and lost to Toronto because of it, and ran into a buzz saw with Florida. They haven't gone away. They will be solid next year, while the Leafs (and Bruins) miss the playoffs.

Two first round exits in a row. They're basically the leafs now

the official definition of a dynasty needs to be changed. 3 in 4 years is nuts and virtually impossible to do these days and even back in the day. Surely 3 titles in 5 years OR 2 titles and a finals appearance in 4 years.

No sir, but that's not their job. They just have to be good enough to make the Leafs cry in round 1. The atlantic belongs to the Panthers for the next few years, Tampa might as well take a rest.

They need to reassemble the team… get some players in their primes, and stop that rubish by replacing talent with size… 🤷🏻‍♂️

I see Vasy lasting one more year and Tampa we’ll be a much different team for sure next season. I think Stamkos will sign somewhere else.

I think with how good the panthers are now we won’t see tampa make the semi finals for a few years i think there dynasty days are over they won’t be cup contenders for about 6 or more years

I said it 2 years ago when they lost to the avs.... NO

The blue line is what concerns me the most about this team. Heddy isn’t getting younger, losing Serg clearly hurt (hope he comes back to the player we saw in 2022-23), Cernak is way too injury prone to justify his contract imo, and the rest don’t inspire me for the future.

They are going to pay in the next few years for their moves to get the cups . With very few draft picks I can see some lean years ahead .

My moves for my bolts id love to see Trades Connor sheary 6th round and a midter prospect Trade tanner 5th and a depth dman Trade perbix 3rd and midter prospect Let stamkos walk if he wants more than 3x8 Sign duclair 3x4 , brett pesce 4x6.75 Brandon duhaime 2x1.95

They are still competitive but no longer top contenders.

No. I don’t think they’re a cup team anymore, but like I said with Las Vegas, this team won cups. There comes a time when you have to slow things down, and with Tampa, we are there. This team’s depth has been eroded away, and we know about Tampa’s cap situation. I feel like some mediocrity for the Lightning wouldn’t be bad next season if it meant replenishing their depth for beyond. But like I said with Vegas too, they haven’t had many draft picks lately so there likely isn’t someone that will come up and lead a young group of Lightning players. Do you look at moving a core piece? Honestly, maybe. I don’t think this team is a cup contender at this point, maybe it’s something to consider (I know they won’t, but that’s just my opinion). All this comes from a Lightning fan btw, so there are some biases in my explanation. That’s just me though

Definitely not nitpicking since I don't mind whatever you do or don't call it, but I have a feeling the definition of dynasty is going to have to be changed. It's too rare now, only the Blackhawks are even close (3 in 6 years).

People pointing out they had 18M in LTIR don't have a point. People pointing out they got an 8M player back for free for playoffs do

Everyone looked damn sleepy during the Florida series, especially the power play. Need to get younger

Hagel!

The window is still open, but their time as one of those top 5 teams every year is over. I'd expect them to go the way of the current Penguins. Too good to give up, not good enough to go all the way.

Nope. RD-2 tops, I’d say. They still have fine individual players but no reliable backup for Vasilevskiy and they’re already talking about dealing important pieces like Cernak to stay under the cap, and still sign certain others they’d like to keep.

Cats are taking over Florida

The Cooper Lightning are a dynasty, saying other wise discredits your objectiveness.

Honestly I think it’s over for now. Not getting any younger. Rebuild coming in the next few years.

Every star fades.

NHL fan at large here..Tampa has brought a lot of great hockey to watch. Loved the Cooper coaching ..a long list of great players..exciting postseason runs and winning Cups….A team identity to emulate. 🏒🥅🌟🏆🏆✨

No, but they’ll always be in my heart

they didnt have sergachev imo the window is not closed yet .

The answer to the headline is "NO." their defense is not good at all. Replace that and they COULD be contenders. But no one in the NHL wants to play defense.... doesnt pay like a flashy forward.

Barring any more shortened seasons, I don't see the Lightning making any big splashes for the next decade or so.

Lilleberg and Tomcat where great for Tampa. Tomcat should replace JoJo as backup and Lilleberg should be in the NHL There are a lot of good players in Syracuse ready to get called up. They are still a contender if toronto and Cane's are

Interesting title. Tampa Bay is out this year, I would say "no".

I think if you win 3 Stanely Cups in 5 calendar years, you are a dynasty.