Winnipeg Jets 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Hobson

2014-15 LEADING SCORERS

LW Andrew Ladd (24 G, 38 A, 62 P)
RW Blake Wheeler (26 G, 35 A, 61 P)
C Bryan Little (24 G, 28 A, 52 P)

LAST SEASON

The Winnipeg Jets were a very exciting team to watch last season. They not only made the playoffs for the first time in their new generation team's history, but they had overwhelming support from their fans in the process. The fans wore white to every home game, and thus, the whiteout tradition from the 80's was reborn.

Trades made during the 2014-15 season kicked off in the month of December, when they acquired veteran defenseman Jay Harrison from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 6th round pick. However, the biggest move came later on in the season, when they traded Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian, and Jason Kasdorf to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Brendan Lemieux, Joel Armia, and a 2015 1st round pick. This trade came after rumours were circulating around Evander Kane and his problems in the locker room. Afterwards, they acquired forward Jiri Tlusty from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a conditional 5th or 6th round pick in 2015 and a 3rd round pick in 2016. They finally sent Carl Klingberg to the New York Rangers in exchange for Lee Stempniak, and after making all these moves to boulster their roster, they were ready to come back to the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Jets, they had a very tough first round matchup in the Anaheim Ducks, and were unfortunately swept, despite the support from the fans and effort put in by the team. There was no reason to panic, however, as the Jets had a solid group of prospects and a young team in place. They looked ahead to the offseason with optimism.

OFFSEASON

IN

Alexander Burmistrov
Matt Fraser
Andrew MacWilliam

OUT

Jiri Tlusty
Julien Brouillette
T.J Galiardi
Patrick Holland
Keaton Ellerby
Jussi Olkinuora
Michael Frolik
Eric O'Dell
Peter Budaj
Will O'Neill
Lee Stempniak
Jim Slater

The Jets entered the 2015 NHL Draft, and while already known to select highly skilled players in the first round, they did the same thing this year, selecting forward Kyle Connor from the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. Soon after, they selected forward Jack Roslovic from the USNTDP. In the second round, they added more potential first round talent, by selecting forward Jansen Harkins from the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. In free agency, they did next to nothing to improve their team, besides bringing back young Russian Forward Alex Burmistrov and signing depth forward Matt Fraser. They let go of some veterans in Michael Frolik and Lee Stempniak, but given the amount of near NHL ready prospects they had in the system, this wasn't much of a problem.

NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE

The Jets will have their offense led by Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd, and even though they might suffer a setback after losing Michael Frolik to the Calgary Flames, expect young Russian Alex Burmistrov to make a solid effort to replace him. Expect young Nikolaj Ehlers to emerge as a potential Calder Trophy canidate if he cracks the roster out of training camp.

NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE

Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom will do most of the work quarterbacking the Jets defense, with veteran presence close by from Mark Stuart. Look for youngster Jacob Trouba to step into a bigger role, with prospect Josh Morrisey being the leading canidate to crack the roster among others.

NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING

There was lots of buzz circulating the Jets goaltending after Michael Hutchinson began to give Ondrej Pavelec a run for his money, so in the following year, expect Hutchinson and Pavelec to share the starts and get a relatively equal amount.

POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

Andrew Ladd - Bryan Little - Blake Wheeler
Matthew Perrault - Mark Scheifele - Drew Stafford
Nikolaj Ehlers - Alexander Burmistrov - Chris Thorburn
Matt Halischuk - Adam Lowry - Matt Fraser

Tobias Enstrom - Tyler Myers
Ben Chiarot - Dustin Byfuglien
Mark Stuart - Jacob Trouba

Ondrej Pavelec
Michael Hutchinson

Washington Capitals 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Hobson

2014-15 LEADING SCORERS

LW Alexander Ovechkin (53 G, 28 A, 81 P)
C Nicklas Backstrom (18 G, 60 A, 78 P)
D John Carlson (12 G, 43 A, 55 P)

LAST SEASON

When you think of the Washington Capitals, you usually think of a playoff team, right? They're usually cosistent making the playoffs each year. Unfortunately, in the 2013-14 NHL season, they failed to qualify. This was a sign for change personnel wise, and after hiring Barry Trotz as head coach, Brian McLellan as GM, and bringing in solid defensemen in Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik, they were ready to rebound.

During the season, the season looked the same for the Caps. Pure goal scorer Alex Ovechkin was at it again, eventually finishing the season with 53 goals, and his partner in crime in Nicklas Backstrom was right behind him point wise, tallying 60 assists. Rookies Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov were making an impact, and everything was going right. They made two trades at the deadline, acquiring defenseman Tim Gleason from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Jack Hillen and a 4th round pick, and then acquired Curtis Glencross from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2nd round pick and a 3rd round pick.

Entering the playoffs, they first matched up against the New York Islanders, where they eventually took them down following a game winning goal from Joel Ward in game seven. They then faced the New York Rangers in round two, but were unfortunately defeated in seven games.

OFFSEASON

IN

Tomas Kundratek
Sean Collins
Carter Camper
Justin Williams
T.J Oshie
Chris Bourque
Aaron Ness
Taylor Chorney
Dan Ellis
Paul Carey
Zach Sill
Ryan Stanton

OUT

Patrick Wey
Tim Kennedy
Casey Wellman
Michal Cajkovsky
Brandon Anderson
Edward Pasquale
Chris Conner
Troy Brouwer
Phoenix Copley
John Erskine
Cameron Schilling
Tim Gleason
Curtis Glencross
Mike Green
Jon Landry
Eric Fehr
Kris Newbury
Joel Ward
Aaron Volpatti
Steve Oleksy

The Caps came into the offseason at the 2015 NHL Draft, where they used their first round pick at 22nd overall to select top ranked goaltender Ilya Samsonov out of the MHL. The Capitals lost a lot of their team in free agency, including saying goodbye to Joel Ward, Eric Fehr, Mike Green, and Troy Brouwer among others, but quickly replaced them with clutch playoff performer Justin Williams and shootout master T.J Oshie. They also brought in some depth, signing Zach Sill and Ryan Stanton to short term deals. Aside from that, there wasn't much else to be said this offseason for the Caps.

NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE

Most of the Caps' lineup changes came on the offense this year, so the biggest storyline will be whether or not T.J Oshie and Justin Williams can replace what Troy Brouwer, Eric Fehr, and Joel Ward brought to the team. Look for the majority of the Caps' offense to be led by Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Andre Burakovsky and Evgeni Kuznetsov will look to step it up as sophomores, while Stanislav Galiev and Jakub Vrana will both push for roster spots.

NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE

The Caps' defense looks relatively the same, despite the bottom pairing. They did lose mainstay Mike Green to the Detroit Red Wings as well as Tim Gleason, who is currently a free agent, so expect the leaders in the battle for the last two spots to be Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov.

NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING

After signing Braden Holtby to a fresh new contract, he will look to live up to his money by getting most of the calls between the pipes, with the most likely backup being Justin Peters or Philipp Grubauer, with Dan Ellis serving as their 4th string.

POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J Oshie
Marcus Johansson - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Justin Williams
Andre Burakovsky - Jay Beagle - Brooks Laich
Stanislav Galiev - Michael Latta - Tom Wilson

Brooks Orpik - John Carlson
Karl Alzner - Matt Niskanen
Dmitry Orlov - Nate Schmidt

Braden Holtby
Philipp Grubauer

Leafs Top Ten Prospects: #1 - Mitch Marner

By Alex Hobson

Well, we've gone through all the prospects on the list and seen many different cases, and now we're at number one. The beginning of this prospect's journey as a Leaf came at the 2015 NHL Draft. The Leafs were expected to take skill over size for the first time in a long time, and interim GM Mark Hunter did just that. He stepped up to the stage, and selected forward Mitch Marner from the London Knights of the OHL.

Marner has an interesting case with the Leafs. When Hunter was GM of the Knights in 2013, he selected Marner with the 19th overall pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection, so these two weren't strangers. Marner joined the OHL in the 2013-14 season and put up good numbers, registering 59 points in 64 games. Pretty good, right? Well, compared to the following year, those numbers looked tiny. He stepped up and recorded 126 points in 63 games and finished second in the OHL scoring race, trailing only Dylan Strome. The Thornhill, Ontario native played both centre and right wing, but Hunter says he expects Marner to play centre in the NHL.

This is truly a good story for the Leafs. A hometown boy who grew up a Leafs fan drafted by his favourite team growing up. He may be small, standing at only 5'11 and 161lbs, but he doesn't lack any aspect to his game. He plays with heart and knows how to play defense, and isn't afraid to throw the body. He certainly has room to grow a few inches and put on some weight, so Leafs fans shouldn't be too concerned about his size. He's in the same situation Morgan Rielly was in two years ago, where he's not neccessarily good enough for the NHL, but he's too good for the OHL, and ineligible for the AHL. Given the Leafs new development plan, it looks like the Leafs will give him one final year to tear it up with the Knights before he gets a true shot to make the team.



POSSIBLE NHL CEILING: FIRST LINE FORWARD

One of the most handy aspects to Marner's game is that he can play both centre and wing, so he could likely fulfill either spot on the top line. He simply has top line potential. If he's on the wing, he plays a game similar to Patrick Kane. If he's playing centre, he's similar to Claude Giroux or former Leafs fan favourite Dougie Gilmour. He has the tools and the heart to be a future fan favourite for the Leafs.

PROSPECT GRADE: A+

Say what you want about me being too quick to give him an A+, but Marner will be a star player in this league for years to come. Scouts had him ranked as the most skilled player in the draft behind Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, and he's only 18. He's showing signs of being the next generation Dougie Gilmour, and right out of the draft he was pegged as the Leafs #1 prospect. Leafs fans should be excited about this kid.

What do you think, Leafs fans? Should Marner be ranked lower, or is #1 good for him? Weigh in below.

Vancouver Canucks 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Hobson

2014-15 LEADING SCORERS

LW Daniel Sedin (20 G, 56 A, 76 P)
C Henrik Sedin (18 G, 55 A, 73 P)
RW Radim Vrbata (31 G, 32 A, 63 P)

LAST SEASON

After a very poor performance during the 2013-14 NHL season that saw them miss the playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks were determined to rebound and return to the playoffs. After trading star two way centre Ryan Kesler to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 1st round pick, Nick Bonino, and Luca Sbisa the previous offseason, the Nucks hoped this would be enough a shakeup to help them rebound after their unfortunate season.

In the first half of the season, they made two depth trades, first acquiring Will Acton from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Kellan Lain, and then after acquiring prospect Andrey Pedan from the New York Islanders in exchange for Alexandre Mallet and a 3rd round pick. In the second half, they exchanged prospects with the Chicago Blackhawks, acquiring defenseman Adam Clendening in return for defenseman Gustav Forsling. Nearing the deadline, they acquired Cory Conacher from the New York Islanders in exchange for Dustin Jeffrey, and then later acquired Sven Baertschi from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2nd round pick.

They finished the season second in the Pacific Divison with a record of 48-29-5 to face divisional rivals the Calgary Flames in Round 1. The Flames would unfortunately come out on top, defeating the Nucks in six games.

OFFSEASON

IN

Brandon Prust
Taylor Fedun
Richard Bachman
Matt Bartkowski
Blair Jones
Brandon Sutter
Adam Cracknell

OUT

Kevin Bieksa
Eddie Lack
Joacim Eriksson
Will Acton
Zack Kassian
Shawn Matthias
Mike Zalewski
Ryan Stanton
Brandon McMillan
Cory Conacher
Peter Andersson
Brad Richardson
Cal O'Reilly
Brandon DeFazio
Darren Archibald
Tom Sestito
Bobby Sanguinetti
Colin Stuart

The Nucks entered the offseason heading into the 2015 NHL Draft, where they used their first round pick at 23rd overall to select forward Brock Boeser from the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL. In free agency, they didn't make too many big splashes, besides signing some depth in Matt Bartkowski and Adam Cracknell. They also acquired gritty forward Brandon Prust from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Zack Kassian, and traded forward Nick Bonino along with Adam Clendening and a 2nd round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exhchange for Brandon Sutter and a 3rd round pick. They lost some depth in Ryan Stanton and Brad Richardson, but they didn't lose too much.

NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE

The Canucks had a high scoring season from their top line consisting of the Sedin twins and Radim Vrbata, who seemed to work well with the famous duo. One of the top storylines will be whether or not Brandon Sutter will be able to perform at the rate that Nick Bonino did. Youngsters Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi will look to produce at a healthy rate for the Nucks' offense, while Jake Virtanen and Hunter Shinkaruk remain the front-running rookies to claim a spot on the offense.

NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE

The Nucks lost their best gritty veteran defenseman in Kevin Bieksa in a trade that saw him shipped to the Anaheim Ducks for draft picks, so one of the bigger questions could be who is most capable of replacing him on the defensive core. Dan Hamhuis and Chris Tanev will likely lead the charge, with Alexander Edler and Luca Sbisa right behind them.

NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING

The Nucks lost fan favourite and backup goaltender Eddie Lack in a trade that saw him shipped to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for two draft picks, so the biggest storyline will be whether Jacob Markstrom has matured enough to secure himself a full time backup job, and if he can perform as well as Lack did. Aside from that, Ryan Miller will get most of the calls between the pipes.

POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Radim Vrbata
Alex Burrows - Brandon Sutter - Jannik Hansen
Sven Baertschi - Bo Horvat - Chris Higgins
Brandon Prust - Linden Vey - Derek Dorsett

Dan Hamhuis - Alexander Edler
Chris Tanev - Yannick Weber
Frank Corrado - Luca Sbisa

Ryan Miller
Jacob Markstrom

Toronto Maple Leafs 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Hobson

2014-15 LEADING SCORERS

RW Phil Kessel (25 G, 36 A, 61 P)
LW James van Riemsdyk (27 G, 29 A, 56 P)
C Tyler Bozak (23 G, 26 A, 49 P)

LAST SEASON

The Toronto Maple Leafs' 2014-15 season went about as wrong as any season could have gone. It started off the same as the others, they were in a playoff spot and hopes were high, but then everything started going downhill. Midway through the season, they fired head coach Randy Carlyle and hopes were up, with Leafs fans thinking that this would light a fire under the underperforming team, but things only got worse. The Leafs would go on an 11 game losing streak through January and February under interim head coach Peter Horachek, and with underperformances from star players like Phil Kessel combined with the lack of chemistry on the team, nothing would go right for the remainder of the season.

At the trade deadline, it was evident that there was absolutely no chance that the Leafs would be making the playoffs, so they decided to sell at the deadline. They kicked things off mid February when they traded defenseman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2015 1st round pick, prospect Brendan Leipsic, and forward Olli Jokinen. They kept unloading players after that, including sending forward Daniel Winnik to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Zach Sill, a 2016 2nd round pick and a 2015 4th round pick. Another big move was a miracle trade pulled off by then-GM Dave Nonis, when he traded the massive contract of David Clarkson to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for injured forward Nathan Horton.

They continued dealing depth, sending Olli Jokinen to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 6th round pick and forwared Joakim Lindstrom, trading defenseman Korbinian Holzer to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 5th round pick and defenseman Eric Brewer. Finally, the Leafs finished a season to forget with a record of 30-44-8, finishing 15th in the Eastern Conference and 7th in the Atlantic Division.

This was a season no Leafs fan would ever want to talk about. However, changes were coming to the organization and the team that nobody would have expected at the start of the year.

OFFSEASON

IN

Nikita Soshnikov
Zach Hyman
Martin Marincin
P.A Parenteau
Daniel Winnik
Mark Arcobello
Matt Hunwick
Nick Spaling
Kasperi Kapanen
Scott Harrington
Byron Froese
Shawn Matthias
Taylor Beck

OUT

Greg McKegg
Phil Kessel
Tyler Biggs
Tim Erixon
Brad Ross
Colton Orr
David Booth
Eric Brewer
Joakim Lindstrom
Frazer McLaren
Kevin Marshall
Eric Knodel
Andrew MacWilliam
Troy Bodie
Brandon Kozun
Trevor Smith
Zach Sill

The Leafs easily had the biggest offseason personnel wise compared to other teams. A day after the season ended, President of Hockey Ops Brendan Shanahan was given the green light to undergo a proper rebuild, and Shanahan essentially set fire to Leafs management. GM Dave Nonis and interim head coach Peter Horachek along with the rest of the coaching staff and over 20 scouts were all let go. All that were left were Shanahan, Assistant GM Kyle Dubas, Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter, and a couple of other members.

 On May 20th 2015, the Leafs shocked the hockey world when they landed former Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, and signed him to a massive deal worth $50 million over eight years. Babcock chose the Leafs as opposed to several other teams including the Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, and Philadelphia Flyers. Heading into the draft, the Leafs owned the 4th overall pick and used it to select forward Mitch Marner of the London Knights due to his connection to Hunter and large skill set. Later on in the draft, the Leafs traded their second 4th round pick along with prospect Brad Ross to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Martin Marincin.

There were still big offseason moves to come, however. The biggest one being on free agency day, when the Leafs traded sniper Phil Kessel along with Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon, and a 2nd round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forward Nick Spaling, prospects Kasperi Kapanen and Scott Harrington, a 2015 1st round pick and a 2015 3rd round pick. This was a sign that the rebuild had officially begun. They brought in several players on short term deals, including P.A Parenteau, Shawn Matthias, Mark Arcobello, and Matt Hunwick. They also brought back forward Daniel Winnik to mentor younger players on the roster. Later on in July, they traded prospect Jamie Devane to the Nashville Predators in exchange for RFA Taylor Beck, whom they signed shortly after. Aside from that, they didn't lose too many big names, besides veterans such as Troy Bodie and David Booth, they didn't really upgrade or downgrade. Pain was coming to the Leafs in the following season, as head coach Mike Babcock said, and the Leafs were prepared for it.

NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE

The biggest storyline among the Leafs offense heading into next season is obviously how they will manage without star sniper Phil Kessel. Look for most of the Leafs scoring options to be among James van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri, P.A Parenteau, and Shawn Matthias. Another headling is the amount of players that they have who are ready to break out/rebound. Forward Nazem Kadri could never really find a place on the team due to feuds with head coaches and problems with consistency, but after being signed to a $4 million dollar deal and essentially being told he'll be given first line minutes, he knows that he has one last chance or he's toast, so expect a big season from him. Look for P.A Parenteau to try to rebound after a poor season with the Montreal Canadiens. Expect youngsters Casey Bailey, Zach Hyman, and William Nylander to challenge for roster spots as the most NHL ready rookies.

NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE

The Leafs have a couple of big storylines on their defensive core as well. Captain Dion Phaneuf has been criticized to the max over the years, but look for him to be given less minutes and have coach Mike Babcock get his game up to the way it was pre-2010. With this, top youngster Morgan Rielly will be stepping into a bigger role and expected to play more minutes and take some weight off of Dion Phaneuf's back. Expect Stuart Percy, T.J Brennan, and Scott Harrington to be the front runners for rookies trying to get a roster spot.

NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING

Goaltending is the aspect of the team that has caused the most controversy among Leafs fans over the years, on whether James Reimer or Jonathan Bernier should be the starter. Given that Bernier signed a 2 year contract worth $4.2 million per year, expect him to get most of the calls in goal, with Reimer backing him up.

POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

James van Riemsdyk - Nazem Kadri - P.A Parenteau
Joffrey Lupul - Tyler Bozak - Richard Panik
Shawn Matthias - Peter Holland - Leo Komarov
Daniel Winnik - Nick Spaling - Mark Arcobello

Morgan Rielly - Dion Phaneuf
Jake Gardiner - Roman Polak
Martin Marincin - Matt Hunwick

Jonathan Bernier
James Reimer

Leafs Top Ten Prospects: #2 - William Nylander

By Alex Hobson

For years and years, the Leafs have been known to draft size over skill when it comes to bringing in prospects. Players such as Tyler Biggs, Brad Ross, and Jamie Devane are all prime examples of this drafting method. However, Leafs management had no idea that they were making a big mistake. None of these players would ever make the NHL, while skilled players taken after them would sometimes almost immediately crack the roster. At the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, everyone expected the Leafs to draft Nick Ritchie, the 6'2, 225lb winger from the Peterborough Petes. They then shocked the crowd and selected small, skilled winger William Nylander from MODO instead. Nobody knew at the time that this would end up being the much better solution.

The son of former NHLer Michael Nylander, William spent his junior career with MODO and Sodertalje SK J20. In the last season of his tenure with Sodertalje, Nylander recorded 43 points in 27 games, and then in his first season with MODO, recorded 7 points in 22 games. However, in his second season, the Calgary, Alberta native would put up 20 points in 21 games, and then transfer to the Toronto Marlies halfway through the season. Often playing with fellow prospect Connor Brown, Nylander went on to record 32 points in 37 games during his tenure with the Marlies. He's been widely compared to Patrick Kane based on his soft hands and pure offensive capability.



POSSIBLE NHL CEILING: FIRST LINE SCORER

This is a bold prediction because realistically, anything can happen with prospects, but if Nylander spends the right amount of time in the AHL developing under head coach Sheldon Keefe, and then moves up to the NHL when ready and improves his game under Mike Babcock, it's entirely possible that he could grow to become a first liner. He'll likely start the season with the Marlies and then see some NHL games near the end of the season.

PROSPECT GRADE: A

Nylander is an offensive machine, and like I said earlier, if he's developed right and not rushed to the NHL like previous prospects have been, then he should become a solid goal scorer in the NHL. This grade seems appropriate for him based on his pure offensive awareness and playmaking ability.

What do you think of Nylander, Leafs fans? Should he be ranked lower or higher, or is #2 right for him? Leave your opinion below.

Thanks for reading.

Tampa Bay Lightning 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Hobson

2014-15 LEADING SCORERS

C Steven Stamkos (43 G, 29 A, 72 P)
C Tyler Johnson (29 G, 43 A, 72 P)
RW Nikita Kucherov (29 G, 36 A, 65 P)

LAST SEASON

The Tampa Bay Lightning had a couple of big headines during the 2014-15 NHL season. The biggest one being that they made the Stanley Cup Finals with their relatively young team. The young team leads us into the second biggest headline, being the monster breakout of the triplets line, composed of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Nikita Kucherov. Two of the members of the line in Johnson and Kucherov finished in the top three in scoring after tallying 65 points, with Palat finishing close behind with 63 points. The Lightning were already poised for a rebound season after getting swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2014 playoffs, and they did far more than just rebound.

Trades made during the season included sending veteran defenseman Eric Brewer to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 3rd round pick, acquiring prospects Carter Ashton and David Broll from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 7th round pick, trading Evgeni Nabokov to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations, and finally, to solidify their chances at making the playoffs, they acquired Braydon Coburn from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Radko Gudas, a 2015 1st round pick and a 2015 3rd round pick. They also had to trade forward Brett Connolly to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2nd round pick in 2015 and a 2nd round pick in 2016 to make room on the roster for youngsters who were performing better such as Vladislav Namestnikov.

Heading into the playoffs, it was a wild ride for the Lightning. They opened against the Detroit Red Wings in round one and defeated them in a thrilling seven game series, and then rematched against the Montreal Canadiens, and got the revenge they were pushing for, by defeating them in six games. They then played the New York Rangers in the conference final and defeated them in a nailbiter in game seven. Finally, they matched up against the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup Champions in the final, but unfortunately lost out in six games.

However, with a young core and solid veterans, nobody in the Lightning organization was panicking, and everyone only felt optimism after this rollercoaster of a season.

OFFSEASON

IN

Daniel Walcott
Matt Taormina
Erik Condra
Jeff Tambellini
Tye McGinn

OUT

Peter Mannino
Mark Barberio
Danick Gauthier
Brenden Morrow
Cody Kunyk
Jean-Philippe Cote
Matthew Corrente
Dan Milan
Dalton Smith
Allen York
Carter Ashton
Sami Salo

The Lightning were relatively quiet this offseason. They entered the 2015 NHL Draft without a first round pick, but this was not a problem. They still managed to pick up a prospect who could potentially have been first round caliber in Mitchell Stephens with their 33rd overall pick, and also snagged up defenseman Matt Spencer with their 44th pick. In free agency, they didn't downgrade, but didn't neccessarily upgrade either. They lost a few veterans in Brenden Morrow and Sami Salo and depth in Mark Barbeiro, but they signed forward Erik Condra to compliment their bottom six, and also signed depth players Tye McGinn and Jeff Tambellini. Otherwise, they didn't make any big splashes.

NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE

The biggest storyline heading into the 2015-16 season on the Lightning's offense will be whether or not the triplets line can carry on scoring like they did last year, and if they do, look for most of the Lightning's offense coming from them, with the other load no doubt being carried by Steven Stamkos. Look for youngsters Vladislav Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette to push for permanent roster spots. Erik Condra and Jeff Tambellini will provide depth for the Lightning in the coming season.

NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE

The Lightning's defensive core will be led by young Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, with additional support coming from veterans Braydon Coburn, Jason Garrison, and Anton Stralman. Expect youngsters Nikita Nesterov and Andrej Sustr along with Matt Carle to compete for the final spots on the defensive core.

NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING

While starting goaltender Ben Bishop is expected to take most of the calls between the pipes, don't expect the Lightning to shy away from the blooming backup Andrei Vasilevsky. Both have proved that they can be good goaltenders when needed, so expect Bishop to earn 60% of the starts and Vasilevsky to earn 40% of them.

POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

Valtteri Filppula - Steven Stamkos - Ryan Callahan
Ondrej Palat - Tyler Johnson - Nikita Kucherov
Jonathan Drouin - Alex Killorn - Vladislav Namestnikov
J.T Brown - Brian Boyle - Erik Condra

Victor Hedman - Anton Stralman
Jason Garrison - Braydon Coburn
Matt Carle - Andrej Sustr

Ben Bishop
Andrei Vasilevsky