Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2024 18:41:13 GMT -6
A Big Offseason Ahead for the Lightning
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After a disappointing end to last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in an interesting position. GM McBain is in his first offseason with Tampa Bay, and there is pressure to commit to what direction the team is going to go. While their core group of Eichel, Nylander, Bjorkstrand, and McCabe is strong, there wasn't much proof in the pudding that the group can go on a playoff run. For this reason, fans and other PFHL critics are calling for Tampa Bay to sell it all for the future. Although, the Lightning front office is adamant that this team does not need to rebuild, making a point that their core group is young enough to stay competitive until the time Carlsson arrives, and to continue that competitiveness. McBain spoke about their prospect group yesterday at a press conference: "I'd say we definitely need more prospects, especially since we plan on promoting some prospects up to our farm team for this season. I'm okay with selecting in just the late rounds. It's the quantity we want to improve, our prospect quality is good. Of course a rebuild would help us there, but we do have a roster that can make a push, we just need to take care of some empty spots first."
This is the Tampa Bay Lightning's top-10 prospect rankings as of July 21st, 2024:
There is plenty to be excited about based off of this list. Five out of the six prospects planned to be graduated to the farm team are in the top 10 list. This is part of the reason McBain wants to keep the team competitive while his core players are on the right side of 30. Though this also handicaps Tampa if they want to make upgrades, not many prospects after this list. It will take some time for the list to grow.
McBain has started the offseason relatively quiet. Tampa Bay has made two trades this offseason so far, both with the Vegas Golden Knights. McBain sent minor-league goalies Richard Bachman and Max Legace to Vegas for cash. Then in a corresponding move, traded all of their third round draft selections to Vegas for more cash. A few months ago, McBain mentioned a fresh start that he envisions for the club, when asked if he still feels the same, he elaborated that the fresh start has already happened: "We traded Crosby, Karlsson, Vasilevskiy, Coyle, the list goes on. We moved a lot of guys out last season, and we really do not want to do that again. We brought in Nylander, Bjorkstrand, and Durzi for that reason. They are guys that fit Eichel and McCabe's age range a bit better, they also allow us to stay competitive while getting younger at the same time. If that's not a fresh start, I don't know what is. Bringing in Carlsson and Bichsel was huge for us as well, they're very important to our future plans."
With high end players like Eichel, Nylander, Bjorkstrand, and McCabe leading the way, Tampa's first tasks are to acquire a starting goalie, and a defenseman that can jump into the top four. With a slim amount of assets, McBain admitted it's going to be tough to not look towards free agency to accomplish what they need. It is hard to retool when you don't have much to add on to players you have to upgrade on. As stated before, Tampa's prospect quantity is getting a little low for comfort. Currently sitting at 24, Soderblom, Balinskis, Guttman, Walker, Robertson, and Crozier are all expected to make the jump to the Syracuse Crunch next season, bringing the prospect count to 18. Syracuse Crunch Head Coach Jim Montgomery stated his excitement for next season with plenty of fresh faces: "Yea it's going to be good, last year was really hard for all of the guys. We had way too many goalies battling for a spot, and the player movement on the Tampa roster definitely affected us as well. It was hard for us to keep familiar faces around. Lots of young guys looking for a chance are coming in, ready to play hard and make this team a playoff team." That same energy seems to be contagious, as Tampa Bay Head Coach Bruce Cassidy said similar things: "I think the guys are just happy to put last season behind them and forget about it. We've had plenty of team meetings since the end of the season. With players, management, other coaches, we all believe that we were a playoff team last year that just could not get things straightened out. We all want another chance together."
Captain Jack Eichel is also not interested in a full rebuild: "If a rebuild has to happen, then that's just how it goes. I want to win, and I think this organization has the foundation, with the ability to add even more to that this summer and make us a serious contender. I signed an extension because both sides want to win and we still think we can do that. We just have to leave last season in the past. I'm not worried though, I trust that management is going to work really hard to improve the team."
Not only is this next season important for McBain and many players on the roster, but especially Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, who was reported to be a factor in Tampa Bay's poor season. While the Tampa front office has expressed their belief in Cassidy, there are rumors from sources within the organization that this season could be Cassidy's last if the season does not go as planned, possibly paving the way for Montgomery to be promoted.
The front office seems to have their pro and farm rosters far more organized at this point, clearing the way for many young players full of potential on their farm, and setting their pro team up for a quick and steady retool. The Tampa Bay Lightning are more than excited to get the draft and free agency going in preparation for next season. Sounds like we're in for a 2nd version of the Tampa Turnaround!
After a disappointing end to last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in an interesting position. GM McBain is in his first offseason with Tampa Bay, and there is pressure to commit to what direction the team is going to go. While their core group of Eichel, Nylander, Bjorkstrand, and McCabe is strong, there wasn't much proof in the pudding that the group can go on a playoff run. For this reason, fans and other PFHL critics are calling for Tampa Bay to sell it all for the future. Although, the Lightning front office is adamant that this team does not need to rebuild, making a point that their core group is young enough to stay competitive until the time Carlsson arrives, and to continue that competitiveness. McBain spoke about their prospect group yesterday at a press conference: "I'd say we definitely need more prospects, especially since we plan on promoting some prospects up to our farm team for this season. I'm okay with selecting in just the late rounds. It's the quantity we want to improve, our prospect quality is good. Of course a rebuild would help us there, but we do have a roster that can make a push, we just need to take care of some empty spots first."
This is the Tampa Bay Lightning's top-10 prospect rankings as of July 21st, 2024:
- C Leo Carlsson
- D Lian Bichsel
- D Max Crozier
- G Arvid Soderblom
- D Uvis Balinskis
- D Roman Schmidt
- C Dylan Duke
- C Dans Locmelis
- C/W Cole Guttman
- D Matthew Robertson
There is plenty to be excited about based off of this list. Five out of the six prospects planned to be graduated to the farm team are in the top 10 list. This is part of the reason McBain wants to keep the team competitive while his core players are on the right side of 30. Though this also handicaps Tampa if they want to make upgrades, not many prospects after this list. It will take some time for the list to grow.
McBain has started the offseason relatively quiet. Tampa Bay has made two trades this offseason so far, both with the Vegas Golden Knights. McBain sent minor-league goalies Richard Bachman and Max Legace to Vegas for cash. Then in a corresponding move, traded all of their third round draft selections to Vegas for more cash. A few months ago, McBain mentioned a fresh start that he envisions for the club, when asked if he still feels the same, he elaborated that the fresh start has already happened: "We traded Crosby, Karlsson, Vasilevskiy, Coyle, the list goes on. We moved a lot of guys out last season, and we really do not want to do that again. We brought in Nylander, Bjorkstrand, and Durzi for that reason. They are guys that fit Eichel and McCabe's age range a bit better, they also allow us to stay competitive while getting younger at the same time. If that's not a fresh start, I don't know what is. Bringing in Carlsson and Bichsel was huge for us as well, they're very important to our future plans."
With high end players like Eichel, Nylander, Bjorkstrand, and McCabe leading the way, Tampa's first tasks are to acquire a starting goalie, and a defenseman that can jump into the top four. With a slim amount of assets, McBain admitted it's going to be tough to not look towards free agency to accomplish what they need. It is hard to retool when you don't have much to add on to players you have to upgrade on. As stated before, Tampa's prospect quantity is getting a little low for comfort. Currently sitting at 24, Soderblom, Balinskis, Guttman, Walker, Robertson, and Crozier are all expected to make the jump to the Syracuse Crunch next season, bringing the prospect count to 18. Syracuse Crunch Head Coach Jim Montgomery stated his excitement for next season with plenty of fresh faces: "Yea it's going to be good, last year was really hard for all of the guys. We had way too many goalies battling for a spot, and the player movement on the Tampa roster definitely affected us as well. It was hard for us to keep familiar faces around. Lots of young guys looking for a chance are coming in, ready to play hard and make this team a playoff team." That same energy seems to be contagious, as Tampa Bay Head Coach Bruce Cassidy said similar things: "I think the guys are just happy to put last season behind them and forget about it. We've had plenty of team meetings since the end of the season. With players, management, other coaches, we all believe that we were a playoff team last year that just could not get things straightened out. We all want another chance together."
Captain Jack Eichel is also not interested in a full rebuild: "If a rebuild has to happen, then that's just how it goes. I want to win, and I think this organization has the foundation, with the ability to add even more to that this summer and make us a serious contender. I signed an extension because both sides want to win and we still think we can do that. We just have to leave last season in the past. I'm not worried though, I trust that management is going to work really hard to improve the team."
Not only is this next season important for McBain and many players on the roster, but especially Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, who was reported to be a factor in Tampa Bay's poor season. While the Tampa front office has expressed their belief in Cassidy, there are rumors from sources within the organization that this season could be Cassidy's last if the season does not go as planned, possibly paving the way for Montgomery to be promoted.
The front office seems to have their pro and farm rosters far more organized at this point, clearing the way for many young players full of potential on their farm, and setting their pro team up for a quick and steady retool. The Tampa Bay Lightning are more than excited to get the draft and free agency going in preparation for next season. Sounds like we're in for a 2nd version of the Tampa Turnaround!
