Most people are familiar with the longtime core group of players for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Victor Hedman are household names, instantly linked to the Lightning and who have been instrumental in the team’s success. However, in recent years, the salary cap has forced the Lightning to make changes in their roster, trading or releasing players who were critical to their success.
The Lightning have added many new players in the past couple of years, and these players will need to play to their full potential if the team wants to avoid another first-round playoff exit. Here are three players to watch in 2023-24.
Mikey Eyssimont
At last season’s deadline, the Lightning traded Vladislav Namestnikov to the San Jose Sharks for Mikey Eyssimont, a player plucked off waivers two months prior. The organization was hoping to tap into Eyssimont’s potential after he recorded 15 points in 54 games split between three teams and put up solid underlying numbers at 5-on-5.
At the end of the season, Tampa Bay re-signed Eyssimont to a two-year, $1.6-million contract. It wasn’t surprising that they extended him, but it was interesting how quickly the deal was done, showing how pleased the team was with his play last season and projecting that he will be an important part of the team in 2023-24.
The 2016 fifth-round draft pick skates with a great deal of speed, excels on the forecheck, plays with an edge, and has a knack for getting under the skin of his opponents. He could take on a bigger role this season as an irritant to opponents, filling a role that Corey Perry did well in while with the Lightning (and with other teams in his career).
The Lightning also hope that the native of Colorado can increase his point production. Last season with the Sharks, skating as a top-six forward, Eyssimont was very efficient at 5-on-5, recording a team-high 62.46 scoring chance-for percentage and the second-highest Corsi-for percentage at 58.5 percent while averaging 13:07 of ice time per game, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Nick Paul
After his play in the 2022 Playoffs, Paul was not an under-the-radar player. However, his performance at the end of last season and in the playoffs was disappointing. Although he reached a career-high in goals with 17, he only scored one goal in the final month of the campaign and was not a factor in the playoff loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
His drop-off in production might have been health-related. On Feb. 8, 2023, Paul left in the second period of a game versus the Sharks with what was later called an upper-body injury. Like many of his other Lightning teammates, a long offseason and a full recovery should see him play to the level the Lightning believes he will achieve.
After the departures of Alex Killorn and Ross Colton this offseason, Paul will be counted on to take on a bigger role with the Lightning, which will include not only scoring but being a critical member of their special teams units.
Luke Glendening
The Lightning signed Luke Glendening to a two-year, $1.6 million contract in July to add some veteran depth to their forward group. Glendening has a history of winning faceoffs, an area the Lightning struggled with at times last season. Throughout his 10-year career, Glendening has a 55.7% faceoff win percentage and averaged an impressive 58.9% with the Dallas Stars the last two seasons. The Lightning are hoping his faceoff skills, along with his experience and defensive-minded game, will help the team this season.
Glendening was not drafted and signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings in 2012. Since then, he has registered 148 points (69 goals, 79 assists) in his career with the Red Wings and Stars, including three goals and three assists in 70 games in 2022-23 with Dallas. He also had two goals and an assist in 17 playoff games with the Stars.
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Coming off a disappointing finish to last season, the Lightning are looking to bounce back and make another run at a Stanley Cup title. While many eyes will be focused on the Lightning’s core group of players, Eyssimont, Paul, and Glendening will be worth watching to see if they can make significant contributions and put the Lightning in position for another deep playoff run.
