The Hockey News is predicting big things for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014-15.
In their Season Preview issue, which is on stands now, THN predicts that the Bolts will finish second in the Atlantic Division. That’s not an outrageously bold prediction, as the team finished in that second spot last season.
Things get a touch more interesting, however, as the publication builds on that by predicting that the Lightning will make it all the way to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final; they have the team eventually losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in that series.
It’s quite impressive that a team that selected third overall in the draft just over one year ago is now in the conversation as a Cup contender. This isn’t Joe Average or Michael Stuart picking the Lightning as a finalist from the couch in his mom’s basement; this is a well-respected magazine giving the Lightning credit for being one of the brighter franchises in hockey today.
What does all this mean? It means that analysts are impressed by the work Steve Yzerman and the Lightning’s management team is doing. Adding names like Jason Garrison and Anton Stralman will undoubtedly make the team’s blue line, which was a weak spot last year, better. Getting veteran voices like Brenden Morrow, Brian Boyle, and Ryan Callahan into the room will almost certainly help the team’s young core mature.
Adam Proteau’s “Bottom Line” on the Lightning ended with this sentence: “They’re a playoff lock and now have the depth to be the East’s best team – in the regular and post-seasons.”
That’s hefty praise.
Readers of this blog know that I haven’t picked the Lightning to come out of the Eastern Conference this season. For at least another year, I do believe that we’re still looking at the Boston Bruins/Pittsburgh Penguins show. Even so, it’s abundantly clear that the Lightning are inching towards that elite echelon. The future is brighter than the shining sun.
Pick up the Season Preview edition of The Hockey News to read more of their thoughts on the Lightning, or subscribe to the magazine on a continuing basis. I’ve been a subscriber for a number of years now, and I’m never disappointed by the content or insight.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter. 
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