A fresh NHL season offers new surprises and storylines nobody projected prior to the first puck drop. Hockey is the most luck-oriented professional sport, making it nearly impossible to predict. With the Tampa Bay Lightning beginning their season tomorrow night, here is a list of three Tampa Bay Lightning bold predictions for the 2023-24 season.
Tampa Bay Lightning Bold Predictions For 2023-24
Anthony Cirelli Eclipses The 55-Point Mark
Anthony Cirelli offers serious upside for a leap in offensive production this season. His career-best came during the 2018-19 season, with 44 points in 68 games. A deeper dive into the analytics presents a possibility for a breakout in offensive production this season.
Cirelli is projected to start the season centering the second line featuring Brandon Hagel and Tyler Motte. A particular asset of Cirelli is his ability to find soft spots in high-danger areas to release shots. Corey Sjanzder from All Three Zones offers further evidence. Cirelli ranked in the 84th percentile of shots off high-danger passes last season. Last season was his worst finishing performance at 5v5. He notched just seven goals on 12.86 expected goals, roughly six goals under expected. While Cirelli isn’t the most talented finisher, he is due to regress to the mean this upcoming season.
An additional five goals to his 29 points in 58 games last season put him on pace for 48 points in 82 games. Moreover, Cirelli was a standout in the pre-season for the Lightning. He recorded three tallies in three games. His preseason showing combined with his offensive development last season provides evidence Cirelli is capable of the 55-point plateau.
Nick Paul Reaches 50-Point Plateau
Nick Paul has the potential to find new heights offensively for the Lightning this upcoming season. Jon Cooper is giving Paul the opportunity as the net-front man to start the season on the top power-play unit. The Tampa Bay power play consistently operates in the top 10 in terms of efficiency.
The net-front man for the Lightning typically switches halfway through the season. The Lighting ran through Alex Killorn and Hagel last season. The previous two years, it was Killorn and Ondrej Palat. Using simple math, the net front man on average recorded 4.01 points per hour on the power play. With 180 minutes on the power play, Paul is projected to record 12 points, an eight-point increase from last season. This already puts Paul at 40 points in 82 games.
Playing alongside Conor Sheary and Mikey Eyssimont will only benefit Paul. Eyssimont is a master of the forecheck and Sheary has a unique high-danger chance generation style to add another dimension of offence for the trio.
Darren Raddysh Becomes a Legitimate Top-Four Defenceman
Darren Raddysh stepped into the spotlight for the Lightning during injury trouble. The AHL all-star made his presence known in the playoffs, recording two points in six games. Raddysh dominated with 51 points in 50 games for the Syracuse Crunch in 2023. Furthermore, he possesses elite skating mechanics and agility, preparing him for oncoming forecheckers. Raddysh’s skating allows him to be confident with the puck and make complex plays look easy.
Raddysh is projected to start the season alongside Mikhail Sergachev on the second pairing. He has all the tools to develop into a legitimate NHL talent for the Lightning. After all, Head Coach Jon Cooper has a history of developing under-the-radar players.
Outlook For Opening Night
The Lightning are ready to go for opening night against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Fans have a lot to look forward to for the coming season. Tampa Bay will remain extremely competitive despite the absence of Andrei Vasilevskiy to start the season. The team is rested after three deep playoff runs and Cooper is excited about the group heading into the season.
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