2017-18 record: 54-23-5 (113 points)
Lost to Washington in Conference Finals
Captain: Steven Stamkos
Everything was lining up for the Tampa Bay to make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in franchise history. They led the Eastern Conference, breezed through New Jersey and had little trouble with Boston. They even had a chance to advance over Washington and extend their legacy of failure, as they were up 3-2. This is where things fell apart, and the Lightning's top ranked offense couldn't be found on a milk carton, and as a result, the Lightning fell short. How do they recover from this failure? They return the same cast from the end of last year, so the answers will have to come from within.
The top-ranked offense played like it for most of the season, including the playoffs. Led by Nikita Kucherov, who was rewarded with an eight-year extension, the Lightning are suddenly more than just Steven Stamkos. The Lightning are an offensive game of Russian Roulette, as if it isn't Kucherov or Stamkos, it could be any of Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, Ondrej Palat or Victor Hedman. Obviously, having that offense run for the most important moments will be under scrutiny in the wake of the playoff collapse. Defensively, the team was middle of the pack, as the sum of the parts wasn't quite better than the sum of the whole. Ryan McDonagh will have at least eight years to find his spot on the team after having a hard time adjusting when he came over in a mid-season trade. Hedman returns with his usual pairing partner in Anton Stralman, but depth could be a small issue, which was why they were mentioned as one of the potential suitors for Erik Karlsson. In goal, Andrei Vasilevsky had his ups and downs, largely due to be a first-year starter after backing up Ben Bishop previously. Still, he was a Vezina finalist and he was hardly to blame for the Lightning's collapse, as he gave them a chance in the deciding games.
Prediction: 1st in the Atlantic Division
The Lightning have a lot to prove this season, and much of that will be especially in the playoffs. Without any major moves to bring in new players, it's going to be on the team and the coaches to prove that they haven't lost their touch when it matters the most.
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