The first two preseason games have already given the Tampa Bay Lightning a few things to chew on.
After splitting a home-and-away set with the Nashville Predators, the Lightning have a small sample, but there’s enough there to start sorting out who’s standing out and who still needs to push harder before the real games begin in a little over a week.
For one, the newcomers have looked comfortable early.
On Sunday, John Carlson set up Ilya Mikheyev for a goal, with Mikheyev tipping it in to put Tampa Bay on the board. Jeffery Viel, who signed a five-year contract in July, then delivered a multi-goal performance in Tuesday’s loss. In net, Denis Hildeby made his first appearance with the team on Tuesday and handled himself well enough, stopping 23 of 26 shots.
That’s the kind of first impression a team wants this time of year. It doesn’t mean anything is guaranteed once the season starts, but it’s a lot better than trying to explain away flat play by blaming the preseason.
The prospect group, though, could use more pop on offense.
Sam O’Reilly has been the clear bright spot. He picked up an assist on Sunday, earned first-star honors, and has been strong on faceoffs, which matters if he’s going to help Tampa Bay with center depth.
Outside of him, the scoring sheet has stayed pretty quiet. Benjamin Rautiainen, fresh off a standout season in Finland’s Liiga, hasn’t even put a shot on goal yet. Ethan Czata and Dylan Duke have at least been noticeable defensively, but that alone isn’t enough to lock down a roster spot.
There’s still time for that group to find another gear, and nobody needs to come out blazing in September. But if one of those prospects is going to make a real case for opening night, the offense has to show up too. Right now, O’Reilly looks like the only one with a real NHL path, especially since the Lightning need more help at center than on the wing.
Then there’s Conor Geekie, who may already be starting to answer the biggest questions around him.
The 2022 11th-overall pick arrived in the deal that sent defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the then-named Utah Hockey Club, now the Utah Mammoth. That draft position created real expectations, but Geekie hasn’t yet settled in at the NHL level. In 66 games across two seasons, including 14 last season, he has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points.
Still, he gave Tampa Bay something tangible in the opener: the game-winning goal in the first preseason game. He didn’t get on the scoresheet Tuesday, but he did win 63.6% of his faceoffs and added a hit. For a player looking to make his mark, that’s a solid place to start.
The Lightning are off Wednesday and return Thursday against the Florida Panthers at home. That begins a back-to-back, with the second game coming on the road to close out the preseason. Puck drop Thursday is set for 7 p.m.
In Other News...
Lightning Bubble Players Enter A Crucial Stretch Before Florida Showdown
The Lightnings preseason trip through Nashville offered a reminder that the roster picture is still very much in flux, even after an overtime loss to the Predators. Jeffrey Viel accounted for both Tampa Bay goals, but the bigger takeaway for the staff came off the ice, where the club began trimming its camp and narrowing the competition as the calendar turns toward the final exhibition slate.
There is still plenty of sorting to do before Florida becomes the next checkpoint, with more than a full camps worth of bodies still in the mix and some tough decisions looming at every position. For players on the bubble, this is the part of September that can define whether they are staying in the room or heading back to junior, and the Lightning will keep using the remaining dress rehearsals to separate the hopefuls from the survivors. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Just Made A Clear Goalie Decision Behind Vasilevskiy
The Lightning have moved to settle one of their more practical preseason questions behind Andrei Vasilevskiy, placing Jonas Johansson on waivers and clearing the runway for a new backup plan. It is the latest sign that Tampa Bay is sorting out its goaltending depth with the regular season closing in, and it leaves Dennis Hildeby in position to occupy the No. 2 job behind the franchise centerpiece.
General manager Julien BriseBois said the club is working with Johansson and his agent to find the best landing spot, which gives this a familiar early-season feel for a team that has to balance roster decisions with player opportunity. If Johansson clears waivers, Syracuse is the obvious fallback, but that could create a crowded situation in the AHL and keep this storyline from resolving quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Face Growing Kucherov Tension As Free Agency Looms
Nikita Kucherov is back in the familiar spot of being central to Tampa Bays long-term planning while his current deal ticks toward its final year. The Lightning winger remains one of the franchises defining players, and with unrestricted free agency set for next July, his contract situation has become one of the most important storylines around the team even if the conversations themselves are staying private.
Julien BriseBois and agent Dan Milstein have been talking about a new contract, but so far those discussions have not produced an agreement. Kucherov is understood to be seeking a meaningful raise, which only adds to the pressure on a front office that has to balance the present with the future. For now, the Lightning still have time to work through it, and this does not appear to be the kind of negotiation that has to be settled overnight. [Read more 🡒]