2005-06 Finish: 43-33-6, 8th East
General Manager: Jay Feaster (5th Season)
Head Coach: John Tortorella (6th Season)
2005-06 Goals For: 252
2005-06 Goals Against: 260
2005-06 Power Play: 16.7% (23rd)
2005-06 Penalty Killing: 81.6% (20th)
Points Leader: Brad Richards (91)
Goals Leader: Vincent Lecavalier (35)
Assists Leader: Brad Richards (68)
Offseason Moves: Signed goaltender Johan Holmqvist, who had been in Sweden, to a one-year contract; signed centre Eric Perrin, who had been in Switzerland, to a one-year contract; acquired goaltender Marc Denis from the Columbus Blue Jackets for left wing Fredrik Modin and goaltender Fredrik Norrena; signed defenceman Andy Delmore, who had been with the Columbus Blue Jackets, to a one-year contract; signed left wing Nikita Alexeev, who had been in Russia, to a one-year contract; signed centre Andreas Karlsson, who had been in Sweden, to a one-year contract; signed defenceman Filip Kuba, who had been with the Minnesota Wild, to a three-year contract; acquired a 2008 fourth-round pick from the Dallas Stars for defenceman Darryl Sydor; signed defenceman Doug Janik, who had been with the Buffalo Sabres; signed defenceman Luke Richardson, who had been with the Toronto Maple Leafs, to a one-year contract; signed left wing Eric Healey, who had been with the Boston Bruins.
Goaltending: The Lightning tried to go with the tandem of John Grahame and Sean Burke last season, with less than stellar results as the defending Stanley Cup champions were knocked out of the first round in five games. Head coach John Tortorella's criticism of Grahame in the first round of the playoffs essentially punched the netminder's ticket out of town, and GM Jay Feaster has brought in Marc Denis as the new No. 1 guy. Denis was a workhorse for Columbus, playing 143 games in the two seasons before the lockout. His .900 save percentage from last season is an improvement on Grahame's numbers, and Denis could turn in at least 30 wins if the Lightning can remain competitive.
Defence: Dealing with strict salary cap space forced to Lightning to let go of two key blueliners in Pavel Kubina (Toronto) and Darryl Sydor (Dallas). But the team believes that they have the right replacements to fill the gaps. Big Filip Kuba is not known for making the most out of his frame, but has good mobility and offensive instincts. At age 37, Luke Richardson still displays excellent leadership qualities, plays a strong physical game, and can punish opponents with body checks. The rest of the blueline is pretty well balanced. Dan Boyle remains the team's top point man and can run a power play effectively. Nolan Pratt and Cory Sarich play the body and excel in a tight-checking contest, and Paul Ranger had a very good rookie campaign that also saw him finish second in team playoff scoring.
Forwards: Even with $21 million locked up in Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier, the Lightning have good and affordable talent up front. Vaclav Prospal finished second in scoring last season with 80 points, Ruslan Fedotenko finished third in team goal scoring (26), and rookie Ryan Craig scored 28 points in 48 games. The team also has a very effective checking line. Tim Taylor is one of the league's most reliable checking centres, Dmitri Afanasenkov plays a speedy two-way game and Rob DiMaio has made a career out of stellar penatly killing and agitating opposing forwards.
Welcome to the NHL: The depth chart could deepen on the blueline with the addition of giants Andy Rogers and Matt Smaby. Both defenders are known for playing a sound defensive game, while their imposing frames (each player stands at 6-5 and weighs over 200 pounds) will be a tough obstacle for any opposing forwards.
General Manager: Jay Feaster (5th Season)
Head Coach: John Tortorella (6th Season)
2005-06 Goals For: 252
2005-06 Goals Against: 260
2005-06 Power Play: 16.7% (23rd)
2005-06 Penalty Killing: 81.6% (20th)
Points Leader: Brad Richards (91)
Goals Leader: Vincent Lecavalier (35)
Assists Leader: Brad Richards (68)
Offseason Moves: Signed goaltender Johan Holmqvist, who had been in Sweden, to a one-year contract; signed centre Eric Perrin, who had been in Switzerland, to a one-year contract; acquired goaltender Marc Denis from the Columbus Blue Jackets for left wing Fredrik Modin and goaltender Fredrik Norrena; signed defenceman Andy Delmore, who had been with the Columbus Blue Jackets, to a one-year contract; signed left wing Nikita Alexeev, who had been in Russia, to a one-year contract; signed centre Andreas Karlsson, who had been in Sweden, to a one-year contract; signed defenceman Filip Kuba, who had been with the Minnesota Wild, to a three-year contract; acquired a 2008 fourth-round pick from the Dallas Stars for defenceman Darryl Sydor; signed defenceman Doug Janik, who had been with the Buffalo Sabres; signed defenceman Luke Richardson, who had been with the Toronto Maple Leafs, to a one-year contract; signed left wing Eric Healey, who had been with the Boston Bruins.
Goaltending: The Lightning tried to go with the tandem of John Grahame and Sean Burke last season, with less than stellar results as the defending Stanley Cup champions were knocked out of the first round in five games. Head coach John Tortorella's criticism of Grahame in the first round of the playoffs essentially punched the netminder's ticket out of town, and GM Jay Feaster has brought in Marc Denis as the new No. 1 guy. Denis was a workhorse for Columbus, playing 143 games in the two seasons before the lockout. His .900 save percentage from last season is an improvement on Grahame's numbers, and Denis could turn in at least 30 wins if the Lightning can remain competitive.
Defence: Dealing with strict salary cap space forced to Lightning to let go of two key blueliners in Pavel Kubina (Toronto) and Darryl Sydor (Dallas). But the team believes that they have the right replacements to fill the gaps. Big Filip Kuba is not known for making the most out of his frame, but has good mobility and offensive instincts. At age 37, Luke Richardson still displays excellent leadership qualities, plays a strong physical game, and can punish opponents with body checks. The rest of the blueline is pretty well balanced. Dan Boyle remains the team's top point man and can run a power play effectively. Nolan Pratt and Cory Sarich play the body and excel in a tight-checking contest, and Paul Ranger had a very good rookie campaign that also saw him finish second in team playoff scoring.
Forwards: Even with $21 million locked up in Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier, the Lightning have good and affordable talent up front. Vaclav Prospal finished second in scoring last season with 80 points, Ruslan Fedotenko finished third in team goal scoring (26), and rookie Ryan Craig scored 28 points in 48 games. The team also has a very effective checking line. Tim Taylor is one of the league's most reliable checking centres, Dmitri Afanasenkov plays a speedy two-way game and Rob DiMaio has made a career out of stellar penatly killing and agitating opposing forwards.
Welcome to the NHL: The depth chart could deepen on the blueline with the addition of giants Andy Rogers and Matt Smaby. Both defenders are known for playing a sound defensive game, while their imposing frames (each player stands at 6-5 and weighs over 200 pounds) will be a tough obstacle for any opposing forwards.
