The Tampa Bay Lightning took a bit of a tumble last year. After registering back-to-back seasons of 101 points or more in 2014 and 2015, they fell back to 97 in 2016 and 94 in 2017. It was the first time in four years that they hadn’t finished in second place in the Atlantic Division. The big issue was that their defense struggled quite a bit. They allowed 227 goals after giving up no more than 215 in the previous three seasons.
Injuries kept the Tampa Bay Lightning out of the playoffs last year, but it did not stop all the players on the team from having great fantasy seasons. In fact, the Lightning have some of the best players available coming into the 2017-18 season, including one of the top-ranked right wingers and defenseman. Here are the Tampa Bay Lightning players you want on your fantasy team this year.
Top Three Players To Own
1. Nikita Kucherov
As only one of two players last season to score at least 40 goals and record a minimum of 40 assists, Kucherov enters this season as one of the highest ranked players overall. The winger averaged 1.15 points per game and his 17 power play goals tied for first in the NHL. Kucherov will be hoping to play a full season with Steven Stamkos, which should help him get his assist total and power play points even higher. Do not be shocked to see Kucherov be the first right winger drafted this season.
2. Victor Hedman
Victor Hedman is coming off a career year and will once again be the top defenseman in Tampa Bay. Hedman finished with career highs in goals with 16, assists with 56 and points with 72. Those numbers, plus his 33 power play points, helped make him finish as a top-five defenseman in standard fantasy scoring. Getting to 70 points again this season may be a bit of a stretch. However, if averages out between his last two seasons, Hedman is good for over 20 points on the power play and about 60 points total.
3. Steven Stamkos
It was tempting to put Steven Stamkos down as a bust in fantasy this season, due to his extensive injury history, but he is just too good when healthy. Stamkos was limited to just 17 games last season but was quite productive over those games, scoring nine goals and 20 points. Over a full season that projects out to 43 goals and 96 points. While hoping for 96 points this season is a little optimistic and just one point off his career high, a fully healthy Stamkos could be good for 40 goals and 75 points.
One Fantasy Bust: Tyler Johnson
Tyler Johnson is now two full seasons removed from his best NHL season. Since the 2014-15 NHL season, when the right-winger netted 29 goals and 72 points, Johnson has just 33 goals and 83 points, all the while missing 29 games over the previous two seasons. For someone his size, standing only 5’8”, injuries can be extra concerning. Be wary of drafting Johnson this season and do not expect another 30 goal performance.
Goaltending Situation
Andrei Vasilevskiy and Peter Budaj are expected to be the two goalies on Tampa Bay’s roster come October. Vasilevskiy was the primary goalie for Tampa last season, seeing his workload increase after the team dealt Ben Bishop to the Kings, a trade that brought Budaj to Tampa. Goaltending is currently the weak point of the team, as Vasilevskiy GAA last season was below the league average and his save percentage of .917 ranked 18th in the league. Budaj had a worse save percentage than Vasilevskiy, but his GAA of 2.18 ranked fourth in the NHL. However, remember that Budaj only played seven games with the Lightning. He spent most of the season with the defensive-minded Los Angeles Kings before being acquired late in the season. His GAA looked great last year but he’s never really been more than a backup-caliber goaltender. It’ll be interesting to see if the Lightning believe that he can get the job done but after stints with the Colorado Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens and the Kings, there is no evidence he can be that top dog. Neither goalie is more than a lower second to third option on your fantasy team.
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