Preseason Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning

We're heading down the stretch as it's time for another Preseason Preview. This is where we check out the teams going into the season.

Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning

Team M.O.: This guys are in a transition state where they're a few pieces short of haivng a decent rebuild. In the past the squad was a finesse-based club that didn't have much toughness. It was fine when they were Stanley Cup Champions back in 2004/ But five years and an ownership fiasco later, they're starting to carve out a team that focuses more on being well-rounded.

Last Season: Second to last in the conference and in the league overall. This is the second poor finish they've had in two seasons and if it weren't for the Islanders, they would have finished last again. Oren Koules and Len Barrie co-owned and operated the team. The team brought on a whole slew of forwards in the off-season and didn't pay much attention to adding quality defensemen. As a result, their forwards didn't perform nearly as well as they could have while the defensive injuries mounted up to such a point that the Lightning roster had the dubious honor of having dressed the most NHL defensemen of any team in history. It didn't help when Mike Smith and Olaf Kolzig went down with injuries, leaving Karri Ramo (who retreated to Europe) and Mike McKenna (who projects to be a career minor leaguer) were left carrying the torch. They did get a high draft pick though, so let's see what the team looks like.

Offense: Vincent LeCavalier's no-trade clause kicked into effect and now he must reward the team with at least a point-per-game production while they get through this. Martin St. Louis, despite his small stature and the team's rebuilding process, has managed to remain one of the most dominant scoring wingers in the league. Steven Stamkos may not have been ready for the NHL last season, but he was still able to get production consistent for a second-liner so he may as well dig his heels in and go for the ride for his sophomore campaign. Ryan Malone did well during his final season in Pittsburgh, but he needs to prove that the Tampa Bay organization didn't overpay him when they gave him a contract for his services. After that though, the forward depth gets a little thin. They may lean on newly acquired Drew Miller to take a top-six spot on the team, but they'll definitely need someone else as well, so they better hope that they acquire someone in the likes of Alex Tanguay, Petr Sykora, or Maxim Afinogenov.

Their bottom-six depth though has a lot of contenders to fill those roles up fast. The newly acquired Stephane Veilleux will be expected to fortify the checking units while Steve Downie will likely graduate to the NHL this season... but has to avoid his antics if he wishes to avoid getting a suspension or demotion. The trio of Jeff Halpern, Adam Hall, and Ryan Craig will notch another year of experience playing a defensive role for the Lightning while newcomer Todd Fedoruk will provide the sandpaper and strong "team first" presence. Veterans like Brandon Bochenski or Zenon Konopka could round out the line up as could youngsters like Paul Szczechura or Martins Karsums (RFA).

Defense: The defense has improved on this team and could be a strong point for the group going forward. Mattias Ohlund was brought on-board to mentor new defenseman and second overall draft pick for 2009 Victor Hedman. Hedman himself will be looking to break into the league fast and bolster the Lightning blueline with his strong two-way play. Paul Ranger and Andrej Meszaros are two young and upcoming blueliners, but they'll each need to have a healthy season if the Lightning are to have any chance of success this season. Lukas Krajicek was a bright spot on the club last year and could potentially break into the top four should things not work out with the people they project on going in with. The last two defensive spots are up for grabs and expect competition to be fierce for it. The team has to chose from Kurtis Foster, Matt Smaby, Matt Walker, Matt Lashoff, and David Hale. Someone will emerge from that, though it's unlikely it will be Hale or Lashoff.

Goaltending: The goaltending is young and talented, but is far from being proven. Mike Smith has done excellent for both the Dallas Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning, but concussion problems have given some serious doubt as to whether or not he'll be a capable NHL starter. Antero Niittymaki is great when he's on his game, but is more sup-bar when he isn't. I like it better than the goaltending tandem they went in with last season, but I'll like it better when they prove they can effectively platoon together.

Expectations: Given that they have a weak offense, an inexperienced defense, and an inconsistent goaltending tandem, I can't say these guys have a chance at making the playoffs. Instead I'll wait to see who they sign and how everyone develops before I can consider these guys a playoff team. Right now, it's just a bit too early.