The Tampa Bay Lightning are about to have what every contending team wants - and what every coach quietly dreads: too many quality defensemen and not enough ice time to go around.
With veterans Ryan McDonagh, Victor Hedman, and Emil Lilleberg all working their way back into the mix ahead of the Olympic break, the Bolts are staring down a rare luxury - depth on the blue line. And while that’s a great problem to have, it’s still a problem that head coach Jon Cooper will have to solve.
“That’s Coop’s problem,” general manager Julien BriseBois said with a grin earlier this month. “But it’s a good one. Coaches love having options, and for the first time in a while, we’ve got plenty.”
BriseBois isn’t exaggerating. With the flat cap era forcing teams to play roster gymnastics just to stay compliant, the Lightning have often run lean.
But this season, they’ve managed to carry 14 forwards and seven defensemen for most of the year - a testament to some savvy cap maneuvering. Now, with three blueliners returning to health, Tampa Bay could soon be looking at nine capable NHL defensemen.
That’s more than they can carry on the active roster, but they’ll want to hang on to as many as possible for the stretch run.
“Competition within the team is a good thing,” Cooper said. “It means you’ve got depth.
And if you’re lucky enough to make the playoffs, you’d rather have eight or nine defensemen ready to go than be scrambling with five or six. Every guy has played a big role so far, and that’s what makes this team strong.”
Still, some pairings are simply untouchable - and right now, none are hotter than J.J. Moser and Darren Raddysh.
Moser leads all NHL defensemen with a staggering plus-38 rating, and when paired with Raddysh, they’ve been the league’s most effective duo in expected goals percentage among pairings with at least 350 minutes together. That’s elite territory - and it means they’re not getting split up anytime soon.
McDonagh, who returned to practice Thursday and joined the team for their quick road swing through Chicago and Columbus, looks like he’ll be the first of the three returnees to slot back in. While Erik Cernak and Charle-Edouard D’Astous have held their own as a pairing since Cernak’s return from injury, the historical chemistry between McDonagh and Cernak is hard to ignore. That duo has long been a defensive anchor, and reuniting them could be a no-brainer.
So where does that leave Hedman? The former Norris Trophy winner is expected back around February 1, but the Lightning may ease him in - potentially in a third-pairing role on the left side with either D’Astous or Lilleberg.
Both have proven they belong. D’Astous has quarterbacked the second power-play unit effectively, while Lilleberg brings a physical edge and key minutes on the penalty kill.
Of course, Hedman’s return will be under the microscope. His start to the season wasn’t up to his usual standard, but he was playing through an elbow injury that eventually required surgery.
That clearly impacted his shot and physicality. Now that he's healthy, how he performs - both with the Lightning and later with Team Sweden in the Olympics - could shape how Tampa Bay structures its blue line down the stretch.
And even with Hedman back, the top power-play job may not be waiting for him. Raddysh has been excellent in that role, and it’s his to lose.
Roster-wise, there are a few levers the Lightning can pull. Max Crozier can be sent to AHL Syracuse without waivers, and while D’Astous is also waiver-exempt, his recent play makes it unlikely he’ll be the odd man out.
Declan Carlile, on the other hand, would need to clear waivers - and that’s no small risk. Since stepping into the lineup in early December, Carlile has averaged nearly 16 minutes per night and gone plus-2 over his last 18 games.
The Lightning have gone 14-2-2 in that span. That kind of contribution makes it tough to justify exposing him.
There’s also the option of using short-term conditioning loans, as they’ve done with forwards Jack Finley and Curtis Douglas. But that doesn’t help with the salary cap, and those stints are limited to 14 days.
Ultimately, the Lightning are in a position most teams would envy - too much NHL-caliber talent on defense. And as BriseBois put it, the goal is to keep as much of that depth in the organization as possible.
“Depending on how things are going, which team we’re playing, whatever the coaches are feeling - they’ve got options,” BriseBois said. “And when everyone’s healthy, we’re going to have to make decisions. But if we want to go on a long run, we’re going to need everyone to contribute.”
That long run is the goal. And with a blue line this deep, the Lightning are setting themselves up for a postseason where no matter who’s on the ice, the standard won’t drop.