Steve Yzerman's Biggest Moves for the Lightning & Vasilevskiy's Return to Form
Also, Kucherov's stardom outside of the spotlight and more.
Welcome to the THW Tampa Bay Lightning Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Lightning writers.
In today’s edition, we talk about the top trades made by Steve Yzerman during his tenure as the Lightning general manager, Andrei Vasilevskiy’s return to form, Nikita Kucherov being a misunderstood yet ultimate competitor and more.
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Time to Bolt Audio Report: Lightning Get Back-to-Back Statement Wins
February 17, 2024 by Harrison Smajovits (Premium THW Substack content)
Welcome to this edition of the Time to Bolts Audio Report…
In this edition, we discuss the Lightning picking up multiple big wins in a single week. The Lightning unveil new third jerseys for this season. Nikita Kucherov outduels MacKinnon in their second matchup of the season. We look ahead to upcoming games and reveal our first-ever Lightning Three Stars of the Week.
Steven Yzerman’s Best Lightning Trades
February 15, 2024 by Steve Marowski
Steve Yzerman shocked the hockey world when he stepped down as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Sep. 2018. He was the GM and vice president of the Lightning since 2010 and had been one of the most successful GMs in recent memory.
For many of his years in Tampa Bay, the Bolts had been favorites to make a run for the Stanley Cup. There was a lot of hard work in the organization, but Yzerman made some key trades and drafted some key players to help the Lightning get to where they were when he left. Here’s a look back at some of the top trades and draft picks during his tenure as Tampa Bay’s GM.
Andrei Vasilevskiy Continuing Return to Form for Surging Lightning
February 15, 2024 by Harrison Smajovits
The Tampa Bay Lightning have won 10 of their last 13 games, including a big shootout victory against the rival Boston Bruins on Feb. 13. This key win featured a strong performance from goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who saved 36 of 38 shots (.947 save percentage) and was perfect in overtime and the shootout.
We became familiar with these types of performances in years past, and they can still be found in the present. As the team now looks like their old self, so does Vasilevskiy. He has shown that these nights are not one-offs but are part of the norm.
Misunderstood Nikita Kucherov Is The Ultimate Competitor
February 16, 2024 by Nick Haydon
Nikita Kucherov may be one of the quietest superstars in the NHL. He does not like to talk to media. He does not go on podcasts or do long-form interviews. In fact, his most viral moment came after the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup, and he showed up to the postgame interview shirtless with a beer in hand. Many realized at that point that Kucherov has a personality, but he just keeps it to himself.
Despite Kucherov’s best efforts, the media spotlight has shone on him this year. His stellar performance (90 points in 53 games) has him in contention for the Hart Memorial Trophy. His lackluster, indifferent, blasé (insert another adjective here) approach during All-Star Weekend drew ire from fans. His comments about Russia and the Olympics sparked debate. Needless to say, people are watching Kucherov—for one reason or another.
Maybe, just maybe, there is a method to Kucherov’s madness, his dealings with the media, and how he presents himself on the ice. We are, after all, discussing a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Art Ross Trophy winner, and Hart Trophy winner. Looking closely at why Kucherov has recently made headlines reveals that he is the ultimate competitor who knows when to show up and how to deliver.
Defenseman Emil Lilleberg’s Path to the Lightning
February 13, 2024 by Joel Enns
Emil Lilleberg is a name that fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning are quickly familiarizing themselves with. The 23-year-old defenseman seemingly came out of nowhere and has quickly managed to make a big impact at the NHL level. He was not a player that was well known when he was called up on Jan. 6, but so far he has made the most of his opportunity and has not looked back since moving on from the Syracuse Crunch. Undoubtedly, many are wondering who Lilleberg is and what his path to the NHL was like, so let’s take a look.
Revisiting the Lightning’s Blockbuster Trade for Blake Coleman
February 12, 2024 by Eugene Helfrick
For the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 2019-20 season was a make-or-break moment for a franchise that had become known as good enough to make deep runs in the postseason but not good enough to win a Stanley Cup. After the well-documented 2019 Postseason collapse, it became clear that the team would have to find a way to win it all soon, or risk seeing another talented player core torn down after coming up empty-handed one too many times.
Given this atmosphere, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois decided it was time to go all-in and buff his already impressive roster at the 2020 Trade Deadline. After standing pat with a group that looked unbeatable in 2019, BriseBois took an aggressive approach by cashing in a bevy of Tampa Bay’s picks and prospects in order to bring back players that could make the difference for a Stanley Cup push.