Bolts are more than capable of remaining competitive after Stamkos’ departure

For the first time since the start of the 2007 season, the Tampa Bay Lightning will play a season without Steven Stamkos. The longtime Bolts captain jumped ship at the start of free agency for a lucrative contract with the Nashville Predators. Without Stamkos, Tampa Bay must come up with a new identity. The Lightning filled Stamkos’ position by immediately signing veteran scorer Jake Guentzel. The 29-year-old forward is coming off a 30-goal, 77-point season split between the Penguins and Hurricanes. While Guentzel fills the spot on paper, that doesn’t mean he can fill the 40-goal-per-year void at the first-line wing position. Fortunately, it’s a position the Lightning have held before and been successful at.

There is no better example of this than the 2020 Stanley Cup run during the Covid-19 pandemic. Stamkos had previously sustained a core muscle injury that required surgery and would have prevented him from finishing the rest of the season. The captain re-injured himself during practice in preparation for the Stanley Cup playoffs, but returned in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, logging just 2:47 minutes of ice time. This led to one of the most iconic moments in Lightning history, when Stamkos scored on his first and only shot of the game. It was later revealed that Stamkos re-injured himself on the play.

The 2020 Stanley Cup run was defined not by what Steven Stamkos did in his short time on the ice, but by what the Lightning were able to accomplish without their leading scorer. The story of this championship run is about how the club found ways to win against some of the league’s best teams despite not having their leading scorer.

Four years later, the Lightning will try to win a Stanley Cup without 91. What works in the Lightning’s favor this time is that they have a more experienced and mature group leading the way. Brayden Point is a player who has definitely grown since his 2020 run where he became a playoff nightmare for every opponent. Point has taken off since then, scoring 148 goals in four seasons, including 51 in the 2022 season. With the signing of Jake Guentzel, who is expected to play on the front line, Point will surely be the main offensive option for Nikita Kucherov. Without the need to constantly set up the one-timer in the left circle, creativity can flourish.

With Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov leading the offense, the Lightning are more than capable of producing a performance that will keep them in the league and secure another championship title.