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New York Rangers rivals: Tampa Bay Lightning season preview

By Andrew Steele-Davis

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 27: New York Rangers center Ryan Strome (16) skates with puck as Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) defends during the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers NHL game on February 27, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 27: New York Rangers center Ryan Strome (16) skates with puck as Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) defends during the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers NHL game on February 27, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 10: Kevin Shattenkirk #22 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at the Scotiabank Arena on October 10, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 10: Kevin Shattenkirk #22 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period at the Scotiabank Arena on October 10, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Arrivals

Looking to pick up the locker room following an embarrassing First Round exit in the 2018-19 postseason, the Tampa Bay Lightning decided to add to their roster by dipping into the free agency market.

They picked up a Stanley Cup winner in Pat Maroon who was still celebrating lifting the greatest prize in all of sports with his hometown team, the St. Louis Blues, and he will add physicality and a net-front presence for the Lightning.

Tampa Bay also added another big, bruising body after signing right wing Luke Witkowski following the expiration of his contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

The Lightning front office clearly recognized that there were flaws to this roster so they addressed that by opting to add two huge bodies to the bottom six in order to bring some toughness and playoff knowhow to the table.

And they were not done there, acting quickly to sign Kevin Shattenkirk to a one-year, $1.75 million contract after the defenseman was bought out by the Rangers.

It just never worked out for Shattenkirk with his boyhood team, but Blueshirts fans will no doubt be pleased to see that he is now thriving on a contender, posting three goals and one assist for four points in four games, while being a vocal point on the power play.

There were a couple of other depth signings too with veteran goalie Curtis McElhinney signing a two-year deal, while defenseman Luke Schenn also penned a one-year contract.

However, arguably the biggest business of the off-season for the Lightning was to lock down young star Brayden Point to a three-year, $20.25 million bridge deal following a holdout by the forward.

TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 03: Pat Maroon #14 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates a goal during the home opener against the Florida Panthers at Amalie Arena on October 03, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 03: Pat Maroon #14 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates a goal during the home opener against the Florida Panthers at Amalie Arena on October 03, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Departures

There were a handful of departures from the Tampa Bay Lightning during the course of the off-season, headlined by some former New York Rangers players.

Veteran defenseman and warrior Dan Girardi retired while forward J.T. Miller was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a conditional first round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, a 2019 third round pick and goalie Marek Mazanec.

Blueliner Anton Stralman, another former Blueshirt, signed with the Florida Panthers in free agency and gritty forward Andy Andreoff also departed as a free agent, while Ryan Callahan effectively ended his NHL career after being placed on long-term injury reserve with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. He was ultimately traded to Ottawa in a move made purely for salary cap purposes.

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