The Tampa Bay Lightning are lagging behind their rivals in the Atlantic Division but make no mistake about it; the Bolts are still a team to watch out for. With the collection of talent that they have and the experience of their players, the Lightning simply can't be counted out. Speaking of players, here are four Tampa Bay stars who are deserving of spots in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto.
Nikita Kucherov still driving dangerous Lightning offense
Breaking news: Kucherov remains an offensive powerhouse. Well, that's not really new. The veteran forward has been fantastic for the Bolts so far in the season. As of this writing, the Russian star is leading not just his team but the entire league with 54 points (22 goals and 32 assists). It's not too long ago when he won the Hart Memorial Trophy back in 2019, and he's playing close to that level again in the 2023-24 campaign thus far.
Still just 30 years old, Kucherov has plenty of gas left in the tank and it's showing on a nearly nightly basis on the ice. His ability to find the back of the net and create for his teammates has been feeding much of his team's offense, as further exemplified by the fact that among all Lightning skaters with at least 400 minutes of ice time, he's got the best goals for percentage (5-on-5) at 53.23%. The team's expected goals for rate when he's on the ice is also at 54.63 (5-on-5). No other player who's spent more than 250 minutes on ice for the Lightning has an even better rate than that. (Kucherov has over 520 TOI). He is a shoo-in for the NHL All-Star Game.
Better call Hedman
The Swedish blueliner isn't getting any younger, but he's still playing elite hockey. The four-time All-Star is on pace to surpass his goals and assists totals last season when he had nine goals and 40 assists through 76 games. Hedman was an All-Star then, so it stands to reason that at the very least, he will be considered for an appearance in the annual event again. This season, he's found the back of the net five times to go along with 24 helpers in 31 games.
Case in Point
Another Lightning star having a prolific season is Brayden Point. So far, the center has 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points. That's still good for 19th overall in the NHL. He and Kucherov are playing sweet music in the first line and a case can be made for either of them being the main driving force of that unit.
In any case, Point, from an individual standpoint (no pun intended), is undeniably an effective weapon on offense for Tampa Bay, which is top 10 in the league in goals per game (3.36) and power play success rate (30.19%). Point has been to the NHL All-Star Game just once before, which was in 2019 and he only got the chance in lieu of the then-injures star defenseman Victor Hedman. Last season, Point garnered a career-high 51 goals to go along with 44 assists for 95 points. He just seems so ripe to earn his second NHL All-Star Game appearance, and it's hardly going to be a surprise if he gets in.
Steven Stamkos aging like fine wine
The Lightning's captain doesn't really need another NHL All-Star selection to prove that he's one of his generation's best players and one of the greatest scorers of all time. Nevertheless, the 33-year-old Stamkos deserves a look. There's also the possibility that this season could be Stamkos' last in a Lightning uniform.
He is playing on the last year of the eight-year $68 million extension he signed with Tampa Bay in 2016, and there are rumors that he can be traded before the end of the campaign. Stamkos has a full no-movement clause, so it's all going to be up to him, but as far as his play on the ice goes, again, he should generate some measure of All-Star Game consideration either as the team representative or via fan votes.
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