Lightning confident about future ahead

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos scores on Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the first period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)
Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos scores on Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the first period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, two championships and a strong -- though ultimately unsuccessful -- bid for a third.

Any way you list the accomplishments, it's been quite a run for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who feel they are nowhere close to being done after falling short of becoming the first team in nearly 40 years to win three consecutive NHL titles.

Losing to the Colorado Avalanche in six games was disappointing, however the talented core that's enjoyed more playoff success than any other team over the past decade remains intact and expects the Lightning to be a contender again next season.

"The pain is deep. I'm trying to put on a brave face, but no one gets to the Stanley Cup Final not to win the Cup," General Manager Julien BriseBois said Tuesday. "You get to the Stanley Cup Final to bring home the Cup, especially this year when we had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win three straight."

Captain Steven Stamkos, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, defenseman Victor Hedman and high-scoring forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point form a star-studded nucleus that BriseBois will continue to build around.

"I don't think we're done. ... We're set up to be a really competitive team for the foreseeable future," BriseBois said, "and hopefully stars align again for us at some point."

While the team's biggest stars are all under contract for next season, BriseBois does face the challenge of trying to retain three key players -- Ondrej Palat, Nick Paul and Jan Rutta -- who can become unrestricted free agents next month.

Negotiations with each of the players' agents have started, and Paul -- acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline -- stressed Tuesday that he'd like to remain with the Lightning after getting the first taste of playoff hockey in his career.

"We're going to do our best," BriseBois said. "All I know is all three of them would like to stay here. We'd like to keep them."

Led by Coach Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay has played 71 playoff games over the past 23 months -- nearly the equivalent of an entire regular season, and the most ever by a team over a span of three postseasons.

Meanwhile, the Lightning revealed Point, who missed 14 of Tampa Bay's last 16 games due to what had been described as a lower body injury, was dealing with a torn right quadriceps muscle that should heal by the start of training camp this fall.

Point, Tampa Bay's leading goal scorer the previous two playoff runs, was having another stellar postseason when he was injured during Game 7 of the Lightning's first-round series win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He sat out the next two rounds, returned to play Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, then missed the final four.

Kucherov, Anthony Cirelli, Corey Perry, Brandon Hagel and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare were among the others who played through significant injuries that likely would have kept them out of the lineup during the regular season.

  photo  Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen, bottom, shoots the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) for a goal during the second period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals on Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
 
 

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