The Tampa Bay Lightning still have enough skill to get the job done. With new faces on the roster, how are things looking so far?
The Lightning had to bid farewell to several veteran pieces this summer, something that’s already been well documented. A few Stanley Cup champions and overall great locker room guys.
Was it easy? No, but it was necessary given the salary cap and the need for speed. Now that they’re on the other side, let’s take a look at where some of the new additions stand one month out from training camp.
Conor Sheary
Sheary has the potential to make the biggest influence among the new players. This past season, he played all 82 games with the Capitals and collected 37 points and 15 goals.
He’s become acclimated to skating alongside star players, which isn’t easy for everyone. Last season, he shared a line with Alex Ovechkin and assisted on seven of his goals. In years prior, he played with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and was a member of Pittsburgh’s teams that won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Sheary could very well get a look with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov on the Lightning’s top line.
He has the ability to play on either wing, and most importantly, his defense and forechecking can fit all over.
The Lightning will need to make up for the goals they’ll be missing out on with players like Ross Colton and Alex Killorn going to other teams. Sheary is that guy.
Tanner Jeannot
Tanner Jeannot didn’t get much playing time after the trade deadline due to injury, so we’re including him here with the new additions.
The departure of Pat Maroon and Alex Killorn will put added pressure on Jeannot as he is officially under a new contract to start his first full season in Tampa Bay.
He has the ability to hammer things out offensively and with the new roster changes, he’ll be taking on a bigger role with the team.
We already know he has the enforcer role mastered.
It took Jeannot some time to find his footing after being traded to Tampa. He was just starting to get comfortable before getting injured against the Islanders at the end of the regular season. Despite that, he meshed well in the locker room and became a seamless fit with the veterans on the team.
During his 2021-22 season with the Predators, he finished with 41 points (24 goals and 17 assists) in nearly a full season of hockey. The Lightning will be expecting something similar. The biggest difference in his scoring drop-off over the past two seasons was his shooting percentage falling from 19.4 to 5.6. If he does slide into a third-line role, he'll pair with Nick Paul, who will also be looking to score more in 2023-24.
Luke Glendening
Glendening will likely take on the Pierre-Edouard Bellemare role of fourth line center and penalty killer.
He's created a reputation as a face-off specialist at over 55% in his career. In 17 playoff games this past season with Dallas, he won 60% of his draws and frequently was on the ice to close out games. Dallas went on to compete in the Western Conference Final vs Vegas. That experience alone is important to the Lightning.
Glendening was also a member of the two Red Wings teams that the Lightning competed against in the first round of the playoffs in 2015 and 2016.
Josh Archibald
Archibald, like Conor Sheary, is a former Pittsburgh Penguin. It appears as though the Lightning are finding what they need in former Pens players. Archibald was part of their second Stanley Cup Championship in a row in 2017.
He’s known for bringing the relentless physical forechecking that the fourth line was missing last season, something that was on Julien BriseBois' checklist heading into free agency.
Since his initial time in Pittsburgh, Archibald spent time in Arizona, Edmonton and then returned to Pittsburgh last season. Last year he played in 62 games and had six goals and six assists.
With Tanner Jeannot’s new contract completed, the Lightning sit just under the $83.5 million salary cap. 22 players are currently on NHL deals. This doesn’t include defenseman Darren Raddysh, who is currently on a two-way deal.