2007-2008 NHL Season Preview - Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
Notable moves and changes: Acquired F Chris Gratton from the Panthers for picks. Signed D Brad Lukowich (was with the Islanders and New Jersey).
Starting goalie: Johan Holmqvist stole the starting role from Marc Denis last season and is slated to be this year’s starter, but there’s still a chance the Denis of a few seasons ago could show up and re-instate himself as #1.
Summary of last year: The Lightning fared marginally better than the previous season, but still look far from the Stanley Cup winners they were in 2004. While Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier had stellar seasons, Brad Richards was disappointing and the Lightning have not been the same in net since the departure of Nikolai Khabibulin.
Prediction for this year: Ah, drama — there’s never any shortage of it as long as head coach John Tortorella is around. When he isn’t publicly sparring with his own players, he’s cussing out the media on live TV. With the locally unpopular new ownership firmly installed (be honest, would you want Doug MacLean running your team?), Tortorella may find himself reined in. All this distracts from the fact the Lightning still do not have a reliable goaltender, and have done little to improve their defensive line, which was 28th in the league on the PK last season, despite the amazing play of Dan Boyle. Another lackluster season, and there may be wholesale changes in Tampa. The positives? The return of Chris Gratton and Brad Lukowich, and the always stunning play of Lecavlier and St. Louis. Keep these guys firing and the rest might not matter.
Tampa Bay Lightning, Chris Gratton, Brad Lukowich, Johan Holmqvist, Marc Denis, Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Nikolai Khabibulin, John Tortorella, Doug MacLean, Dan Boyle, Chris Gratton, Brad Lukowich
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