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The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to a solid if unspectacular start to the 2024-25 National Hockey League campaign. After moving on from Mikhail Sergachev and Steven Stamkos this summer, and adding Jake Guentzel to the core, the Bolts are 12-9-2 through 23 games and fourth place in the Atlantic Division. It's not quite good enough for a playoff spot — Tampa is currently one point back of the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference — but they're right in the thick of things.
Like usual, it's been Nikita Kucherov leading the way. The former Hart Trophy winner is up to 12 goals and 34 points in 22 games, although he missed the Lightning's last game with an undisclosed injury. Kucherov is labelled as day-to-day, meaning he could be an option as soon as Thursday night against the visiting San Jose Sharks. He should again be challenging for the scoring lead in 2024-25 as long as he stays healthy.
A couple more of the usual suspects have also been rock solid; Brayden Point has battled an injury but still amassed 21 points in 19 games, while Victor Hedman is up to 22 points of his own. But the two big surprises in the early going have been Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. Lightning fans won't be surprised to see two familiar faces playing key roles for this team — but the prolific offense the two are providing has certainly been a pleasant surprise this year.
Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel have been surprisingly terrific offensively
The breakout began for Hagel in his first full season with the Lightning in 2022-23. After being traded from the Chicago Blackhawks in March of 2022 — and helping the Bolts reach their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final in the postseason — he managed 30 goals and 64 points in 81 games. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native was even better last season, recording 75 points in 82 tilts.
But in 2024-25, the 26-year-old has gone nuclear. Playing on a line with Cirelli and Nick Paul, along with the top powerplay unit, Hagel is up to 10 goals and 29 points in just 23 games. He's rounded into a responsible defensive player and is looking like the best offensive skater on the team not named Kucherov. Lightning GM Julien BriseBois knew what he had in Hagel when he signed him to an eight-year pact back in August of 2023, and Hagel looks like he gets better and better every time he hits the ice.
Although Cirelli hasn't been quite as dangerous offensively, he's also been phenomenal this season, managing 10 goals and 23 points in 23 games. The 27-year-old has never been anywhere close to playing at a point-per-game pace; his best campaign came last year when he chipped in 45 points in 79 contests.
Cirelli is clearly turning the corner offensively, and he has long been a terrific defensive contributor. He's become the complete package, and even before the offense was coming at an elite clip, the Woodbridge, Ontario native was a key piece of two Stanley Cup teams in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning aren't as good as they were when they marched to three consecutive championship series, but the play of Cirelli and Hagel could be the difference in this club making another run before the time is up for this core.
Both countrymen were well-deserving of being selected to Team Canada's roster at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Cirelli, Hagel well-deserving of Team Canada 4 Nations Face-Off nod
The fact that Cirelli and Hagel were both selected to Team Canada just goes to show how great the pair have been in 2024-25. A ton of excellent hockey players were left off the team, including Mark Scheifele, Connor Bedard, John Tavares and Zach Hyman.
It makes sense that both got an extended look — Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is Canada's bench boss in February, after all. But the two have become difference-makers, and they project to enter the tournament as linemates for team and country. It'll be interesting to see who Cooper decides to play with his two Tampa Bay forwards, as Point projects to anchor another line with Sam Reinhart and Mitch Marner, Per The Athletic.
With Hagel and Cirelli producing prolifically, it adds a couple more weapons to a Lightning team that already boasts superstars in Kucherov and Point. It's not surprising that Tampa is second in the league in goals per game with 3.74. But one player who disappointingly hasn't contributed much at all is Cam Atkinson.
Veteran Cam Atkinson is quickly declining
In his prime, Atkinson was a perennial 20+ goal scorer — he did it six years in a row between 2013-19. But the 35-year-old has declined significantly in recent years, and he managed just 28 points in 70 games with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2023-24. Although the warning signs were there, the Lightning took a chance on the veteran, signing the unrestricted free agent to a one-year, $900,000 deal during free agent frenzy.
Unfortunately, Atkinson just isn't an effective offensive contributor anymore. He's a far cry from the player who scored 41 goals in 80 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018-19. This year, he's chipped in just two goals and three points in 15 games, and he's frequently been out of the lineup.
The Lightning took a chance on a player who had a down year in 2023-24, but it looks like that wasn't a one-off for the Riverside, Connecticut native. Atkinson just can't keep up this season, and it'll be interesting to see how long the leash is once things really start to tighten up in the New Year.
Despite Atkinson's disappointing lack of production, the Lightning are still one of the top offensive teams in the NHL. A big part of that is Cirelli and Hagel's emergence, although almost the entire forward core has been producing in the early going. The defensive side of the game needs some work — and future Hall of Famer Andrei Vasilevskiy can find another gear — but there's no doubt that Tampa Bay is still in good shape offensively.
Whether or not that will be enough to help this franchise win a third championship in six seasons is yet up in the air, but with a couple of tweaks, this should still be a contender next spring.
