The 2024 offseason wasn’t short of action for the Tampa Bay Lightning front office and fan base. There was a culture shift in the team this summer, and the roster will never look the same moving forward. The first building block of the core, Steven Stamkos, will finally wear a new sweater for the first time in his NHL career. The first overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, 16-year veteran and captain of the Lightning signed a four-year deal with the Nashville Predators in free agency.
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With the loss of Stamkos, Tampa Bay retooled their team throughout the summer with numerous trades and signings. They re-acquired Ryan McDonagh from the Predators to reinforce the blue line. Furthermore, the Lightning traded Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club and traded for the signing rights of Jake Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes. At the bottom of the lineup, the front office sent Tanner Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings and signed depth pieces like Cam Atkinson and Zemgus Girgensons. With many moving pieces in recent months, a few final questions remain for the Lightning before the puck drops.
Who Fills the Void for Stamkos on the Power Play?
With the loss of their generational one-timer on the left circle, Tampa Bay must find a new player for the left side on the top power-play unit. The Lightning have a few options they have experimented with in training camp. First, Brandon Hagel just scored a career-high 75 points last season and signed an eight-year extension in Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old continues to improve each season, and an opportunity on one of the league’s top power play units can help elevate his production to new heights. He trained with Nikita Kucherov for two months during the offseason to prepare for a power-play role. However, head coach Jon Cooper may want to steer in a different direction after seeing the unit in action.
The issue with Hagel on the first unit is that he’s a left-hand shot on the left side, eliminating his ability to take one-timers like Stamkos did. He must catch and shoot the puck on his strong side, which takes up more time and allows the goaltender to get set. Therefore, Cooper has tried newly signed veteran Atkinson on the left circle. He even experimented with a second defenseman on the top unit, Darren Raddysh, who had experience at the position back…
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