2014-2015 Lightning Preview: Bolting to the Cup?

Last year, the Bolts' playoff chances started circling the bowl on April 8. Or more precisely, at 5:43 of the first period of their game that night against the Leafs. That's when Ben Bishop fell awkwardly on his left arm while diving to stop the puck.

Elbows shouldn't move like that.

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. The Bolts had somehow persevered through Steven Stamkos' broken tibia and Martin St. Louis' departure via trade. But Bishop's injury checkmated any chance they might have had in the postseason, as the team suffered a first-round sweep at the hands of the Habs.

This season will be different. Much different.

The 2014-15 edition of the Lightning will be one of the best teams in the East. The team has high-end youth, strong management and coaching, and veteran leadership. It's almost a perfect storm of talent and depth, and that could easily carry them all the way to the Eastern Conference final…or further.

And fantasy owners will have plenty of options, especially in keeper or dynasty formats.

Both Stamkos and Bishop are healthy heading into camp, and both are candidates to be among the best in the league at their respective positions. Super prospect Jonathan Drouin is a preseason favorite for the Calder trophy. Victor Hedman will flirt with his first 60-point campaign and will soon start hearing his name whispered as a potential Norris Trophy candidate. And Ondrej Palat will show just how Selke-worthy his game really is.

Veterans like Valtteri Filppula, Ryan Callahan and Matt Carle return to provide top-six and top-pair leadership, respectively. Newcomers Jason Garrison, Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman bolster the team on both special teams and at five-on-five. And all this veteran depth will provide Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov an insulated opportunity to truly develop their games.

Oh yeah – Evgeni Nabokov gives the Bolts an insurance policy against another fluke injury and gives hotshot goalie prospects Andrei Vasilevskiy and Kristers Gudlevskis a chance to mature a bit in the A. And fan-fave Radko Gudas will deliver deep leaguers with massive muscle points – and knock a few fillings out in the process.

Can the Bolts get to the Cup Final? Maybe, maybe not. But they will help get you to a fantasy championship. Go get 'em.

The Big Guns

Steven Stamkos, C (RotoWire Position Rank*: #2): Stamkos or Sidney Crosby? That question isn't an easy one in a lot of leagues. The Bolts center is an elite franchise player, but that's stating the obvious. He might have won the scoring title last season had he not snapped his tibia in a game on Nov. 11. Prior to that, he had 23 points -- including 14 goals -- in 16 games. That pace that would have netted him 50 goals and 118 points in 82 games, an Art Ross trophy, and might just have changed the complexion of the Rocket Richard competition. It also would have likely changed the seeding for the Eastern Conference playoffs as well. Your format and scoring categories will dictate whom you snag at the top of your draft, but we'd take goals over assists every time if all other things were equal. Count on him for 50 goals and 95-to-100 points and the cornerstone of your league champion's team.

*RotoWire Position Ranks reflected for points-based leagues*

Victor Hedman, D (RotoWire Position Rank: #8): Hedman came of age last season, much to the surprise of most hockey pundits -- including us. Hedman proved that can actually think the game like a stud defender and promptly delivered career numbers in goals (13), assists (42), points (55), shots on goal (170) and power-play points (14). Those 55 points put him fourth on the list of scorers from the blue line, but his power-play production didn't even crack the league's top-20 defenders. We'd like to see him deliver more with the man-advantage, but that part of his game should start to grow with a healthy Steven Stamkos in the lineup. He'll also deliver you bonus shorthanded points -- he led the NHL last season with six helpers while a man down. While it doesn't look likely that he'll ever win a Norris, he will be a great fantasy performer for the next decade. Draft accordingly.

Ben Bishop, G (RotoWire Position Rank: #8): Bishop blew the doors off Tampa Bay last season and ended up getting a Vezina nomination for his efforts. The question will be whether he can replicate his performance. Bishop isn't just a one-hit wonder -- he has a better cumulative save percentage (.921) than Carey Price and Pekka Rinne since the 2010-11 season. Not only is he a stud, but he's also playing for a huge payday; he's on the last year of a $2.2 million deal and is due for a massive raise. He'll get it on the heels of another fantastic season. Take advantage if you have the opportunity.

On the Rise

Ondrej Palat, LW (RotoWire Position Rank: #11): This seventh-round pick not only electrified the Tampa Bay Times Forum, but he was so hot he almost melted the ice. Palat started on the third line and eventually played his way onto a scoring line. He became the Bolts' top two-way forward and one of its best on-ice leaders, as a rookie, nonetheless. And he just kept getting better and better as the season progressed, picking up 22 of his 59 points in the 18 games after Martin St. Louis was traded. He also finished an incredible plus-32 in 81 games, good enough for a tie for seventh in the NHL in that category. He's penciled in as the Bolts' No. 1 left winger and will get to play beside Steven Stamkos this season.

Nikita Kucherov, RW (RotoWire Position Rank: #67): Kucherov is very talented -- he has a sniper's release and mentality, and executes at Mach speed. He's even unexpectedly worked on his own zone play, so he's more than a one-zone wonder. His star is rising and so will his ice time. Right now, he has a shot at a regular, top-six gig, and that could mean slotting in right next to Valtteri Filppula. He could easily triple his output from 2013-14 (19 points). That means he's a borderline play in standard 10- or 12-team single-year leagues, but it's in dynasty formats where he's a real asset.

Three to Watch

Valtteri Filppula, C (RotoWire Position Rank: #45): Filppula is now the Bolts' resident veteran-in-chief, and the team's only forward 30 years or older -- OK, that's not entirely true, what with Brendan Morrow around. But he will be the only greybeard around when Morrow gets scratched (and he will). Filppula's first season in Tampa delivered 58 points, including a career-best 25 goals, and he should deliver mid-60s point production as the team's second-line center in 2014-15. Just be wary of him in leagues that also count SOG, PIM, hits and blocks – he doesn't deliver much of anything in those categories. Still, most of those categories are fantasy afterthoughts, so snap him up – this Bolts squad is going places in the East.

Jason Garrison, D (RotoWire Position Rank: #26): Garrison's game died when it went to Canada's west coast, and the goals dried up along with his confidence. Sure, he matched his career-best in points (33) last season, but the Canucks never did figure out how to let him tee up one-timers with the man advantage. Enter Tampa Bay and a power play that's now missing Martin St. Louis, and Garrison's game could easily return. Watch him carefully in camp and bump him up your cheat sheet if he wins that first-unit power-play position. You'll be rewarded with a bounty of shots to go with 50 PIM and 100-plus hits and blocked shots apiece. Maybe he just didn't like all the rain in Vancouver -- the St. Petersburg beach will be a much better fit.

Evgeni Nabokov, G (RotoWire Position Rank: #56): Nabokov is far from done, but he's no longer the elite twine-tender he was when he was in his early 30s. Still, he can deliver decent numbers in a backup role, especially in the Bolts' structure. He'll play behind some defenders who can actually prevent scoring chances, for once. He will likely see upwards of 30 games to help starter Ben Bishop stay fresh. He's a great handcuff in daily leagues and you may even get value in deep, three-goalie leagues.

Don't Overrate

Ryan Callahan, RW (RotoWire Position Rank: #27): Callahan bled Rangers' blue for years, but he found a new home in Tampa Bay in a deadline deal last season that sent Martin St. Louis to Madison Square Garden. He loved it so much in St. Pete that he stayed; Callahan inked a six-year, $34.8 million deal in June and will provide veteran leadership and secondary scoring for a emerging Bolts squad. He is particularly effective on the power play, so expect solid output there. Just don't overestimate his overall output -- he is likely a 20-goal, 50-point winger in 2014-2015.

Matthew Carle, D (RotoWire Position Rank: #87): Carle's best fantasy days are behind him. Don't get us wrong -- he is going to deliver on the ice for close to another decade, but he has started to shape his game into a more defensive style as an undersized, top-four crease clearer. His power-play time will continue to drop now that Jason Garrison has arrived, and that means his shots on goal and points will probably decline, too. As a result, he's essentially a one-category wonder. Most fantasy rosters cannot afford a player whose greatest value lies in blocked shots.

Tyler Johnson, C (RotoWire Position Rank: #26): Johnson is an offensive dynamo in a very tiny package. This 5-foot-9 sparkplug earned a Calder nomination on the back of a 24-goal, 50-point season and looked every part a young Martin St. Louis. Unfortunately, he's unlikely to repeat his successes this season. Not only is a sophomore slump likely, but there's also the matter of determining his role. Johnson's ice time shot up when Steven Stamkos was out of the lineup last season, which certainly helped his production. He had 19 points in 37 games when the Bolts captain was in the lineup, compared to 31 in 45 when he was out. Don't be surprised by a 40-point season, particularly if he slots in as the third-line center. Move that toward 50 if he earns a gig as a top-six winger.

Top Prospects

Jonathan Drouin, C (RotoWire Prospects Rank: #1): Drouin is the league's top prospect and is about to show the NHL what he can bring to the table. Before last season, we told you he had it all -- agility, vision, skill, hockey smarts, competitiveness, soft hands and patience. He took his elite puck possession skills and conditioning to brand-new heights in the QMJHL this past season, leading the circuit in playoff points. You may not be that surprised, but his team was eliminated in the semis; he knocked home 41 points in just 16 postseason games while putting the Halifax Mooseheads on his back. He's ready for prime time and is already the preseason Calder favorite. He can play center and wing, and the Bolts hope he can eventually settle in at pivot, but they may just break him in on one of the flanks. A first full season of 60 points is a distinct possibility with a 95-point season in his future very soon. He's worth targeting early in drafts, but note that he could be miss the first week or two of games while he recovers from a fractured thumb.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, G (RotoWire Prospects Rank: #7): Vasilevskiy may be a top-10 prospect, but he's nowhere near NHL-ready. He turned 20 this past summer and hasn't played more than a handful of games on NHL-size ice. Still, the sky really is the limit for this big, athletic twine-tender, who carried an average KHL squad to the league finals in 2013-14 and shined as a backup for Russia's gold-medal winning team at the most recent World Championships. He'll spend 2014-15 in the AHL, splitting time with Kristers Gudlevskis. A starting gig in the NHL is still several seasons away, and that means his fantasy value is, too.

Vladislav Namestnikov, C (RotoWire Prospects Rank: #42): Namestnikov got off to a hot start in the AHL last season, picking up a remarkable 19 points in his first 13 games. Surgery for a broken hand kept him on the sidelines for five weeks, but we're confident he would have finished in the league's top-five scorers had he played the whole season. Even so, the talented playmaker may not earn a gig in Tampa to start this season. He's talented enough to be there, but Steven Stamkos is healthy, and that will bump Namestnikov down the depth chart of centers. He may be best served to dominate a full season in the AHL, but that doesn't diminish his value in dynasty leagues. He'll be a point-per-game playmaker in his prime -- stash him away.

Adam Erne, LW (RotoWire Prospects Rank: #77): Erne is lightning fast and tough, but he's best known for pile-driving fellow Bolts' prospect Jonathan Drouin head-first into the boards in a QMJHL game last December. Some scouts have come to question his decision-making skills, and there are whispers of the word "dirty" when Erne's name comes up. He probably tops out as a top-nine skater who will play close to the edge and be loved by his teammates and fans. There's fantasy value in being an elite super-pest -- just ask Dallas' Antoine Roussel. We think he's a "show me" guy -- don't draft him until he shows you what he can do.

Anthony DeAngelo, D (RotoWire Prospects Rank: #83): DeAngelo is a bad boy -- there's no other way to put it. He's supremely talented, but he's been suspended several times -- and for significant time -- for violating the OHL's diversity policy for verbally abusing officials and a teammate. Yes, you read that right -- his own mate. He's probably the best offensive defender in the draft, but he's a huge risk to be a complete sideshow. And a lot of teams put him on their "do-not-draft" list. He's a risk/reward pick in fantasy and on the ice. Will he straighten things out in Tampa Bay? We don't think a leopard can change his spots, but we'd love to be proven wrong. And if anyone can make that happen it's Steve Yzerman.