For the first time in a long time, the Tampa Bay Lightning aren't the best team in their state. The Florida Panthers began taking that crown last season when they made the Stanley Cup Final but solidified their place as the best when they won the Cup this season. The Panthers added insult to injury by eliminating the Lightning in five games in the first round of the postseason, a series that wasn't even as close as the duration would suggest. The Panthers dominated the first three games, then sleepwalked through Game 4 before finishing the job in Game 5. The Lightning made some moves this offseason, but they must target a few trades to remain contenders in the NHL.
The moves the Lightning already made have come with some mixed reactions. They began free agency by admitting that a deal with longtime captain Steven Stamkos would be hard to execute. The Lightning traded Mikhail Sergachev at the draft before also offloading Tanner Jeannot. It wasn't a stretch for fans to think that these deals paved the way for the Lightning to keep Stamkos. However, the Lightning traded to acquire the rights to Jake Guentzel, which ended the Stamkos era and sent him to sign a contract with the Nashville Predators.
The money that the Lightning used on Guentzel could have re-signed Stamkos at the same annual value he's getting from the Predators. Julien BriseBois decided that a fresh start was what the Lightning needed, which also includes prospect Conor Geekie, who they received in the Sergachev deal. Let's find some trade targets for the Lightning with their $1.6 million cap space.
Yaroslav Askarov and Andrei Vasilevskiy are a perfect pairing
Andrei Vasilevskiy gave the Lighting many heroic performances during their two Stanley Cups. The problem he is running into now is that he seems tired at the end of seasons due to his workload. Vasilevskiy is famous for demanding the net and won't even leave games after allowing many goals like other goaltenders. Vasilevskiy is also beginning to form a history of injuries, which the Lightning shouldn't leave to chance anymore. They put the starting role in Jonas Johansson's hands last season, which started okay but ended up being a disaster. Johansson finished the season with a 3.37 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage.
It seems the Lightning will enter this season with the same goaltending tandem. The Lightning's lack of confidence in Johansson will force Vasilevskiy to start 65+ games again this season, which should be enough to get them into the playoffs. The question is whether his body will hold up long enough to take them through the postseason.
The Nashville Predators drew a line in the sand this offseason when they signed Juuse Saros to a long-term contract. Yaroslav Askarov wants to play in the NHL full-time next season, and he'd have a chance to be Vasilevskiy's backup in Tampa Bay. The pair would be an ideal fit for obvious reasons. They have similar styles, and both hail from Russia, which would comfort Askarov and may solve the Lightning's problem of Vasilevskiy wanting to play too many games. Would Vasilevskiy be more likely to give more games to a fellow countryman who is a friend?
Can the Lightning steal a defenseman from the Flames?
The Lightning currently have six defensemen on their NHL roster and a lack of depth in their pipeline. Jon Cooper is likely wondering who he will have in Tampa Bay this season as their seventh defenseman. There are a couple of seventh-defenseman options on their current roster, which means BriseBois' task is to find a defenseman who can play full-time.
Rasmus Andersson is an intriguing option for the Lightning. The Flames need to enter a rebuild, as their team isn't going very far with its current construction. Andersson is the type of player who would excel with the Lightning and has a modest $4.55 million cap hit over the next two seasons.
Dylan Samberg, an under-the-radar acquisition
Dylan Samberg may not be the most intriguing name on one of these lists. However, the Lightning lack options with their limited cap space. The Winnipeg Jets signed ex-Lightning Haydn Fleury and Colin Miller this offseason, leaving them eight defensemen on their roster. Samberg could be expendable and would be Cooper's seventh defenseman.
The Lightning will find it hard to get a trade partner in the Eastern Conference after they dominated the last few years. They may have to look for the best value they can find, and teams like the Jets and Flames would be good teams to target.
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