The regular season and playoffs are now complete for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and so it is time to reflect on what can only be described as a very successful 2013-14 campaign. No, the team didn’t win the Stanley Cup. No, the team didn’t win a single playoff game. With that said, this Bolts group surprised a lot of people in the hockey world. There’s a lot for them to be proud of.
Following up on my last blog, in which I graded Steve Yzerman and Jon Cooper, I’ll be looking at the defense in today’s piece. From there, the series will be wrapped up with grades for the forwards.
One quick housekeeping note: Only players who suited up for more than 20 games are included in the report card.
Andrej Sustr – 43GP, 1G, 7A It was a real shame that the Bolts didn’t have a spot available for Sustr all year long. It would be easy to make the argument that he earned a full time position with the big club; he was that good. This is a young player who just came out of college at the end of last season. Already he’s establishing himself as an NHL blue-liner with limitless potential. While he did make the odd mistake, Sustr also showed himself to be effective anywhere from the top pairing to the bottom pairing.
Standing at 6’8…, Sustr has an automatic advantage over many of his foes. Add to that his innate ability to see the game and make the right play, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a young player.
Grade: A-
Mark Barberio – 49GP, 5G, 5A It was an interesting year for Barberio in a lot of ways. After lighting up the AHL with his dynamic offensive skill, the young defender struggled to make the transition to the NHL. His tendency to make bad defensive reads and take too many risks often made sure that he wound up in the press box before being able to solidify himself as a full time player. I’m sure that the coaching staff would have been fine with the defensive gaffes and miscues had Barberio been more of an offensive threat, but the fact is that he just wasn’t one.
The potential is there, but it may just take some time for this player to adjust to life in the NHL. Interestingly, and despite the fact that he often gave Lightning fans undue stress when handling the puck, Barberio boasts some decent possession metrics relative to his teammates. Still, it’s not enough to save his grade.
Grade: C-
Sami Salo – 71GP, 4G, 13A Salo took the brunt of countless negative comments on these boards, but I really didn’t find him to be all that bad this year. Speed was definitely an issue for Salo, as many pointed out, but it always has been. This is a player who has made his living on being a sound positional player who sees the game well. For the most part, I thought he was exactly that this season.
Were there times that he got beat outside? Absolutely. Were there times that he got exposed for what he is? You bet. With that said, he also did a lot of things right. Like Barberio, Salo was also one of the team’s better defenders when it came to possession. A lot of the credit for that should probably go to his partner, Victor Hedman, but Salo was no slouch.
Grade: B-
Radko Gudas – 73GP, 3G, 19A A lot has been made of the Lightning’s ability to develop young players as an organization. One young player who took a step (read: giant leap) backwards this year is Radko Gudas. He and partner Matt Carle were absolutely victimized this season. Oftentimes it seemed that Gudas was just reaching too far for the big hit or trying too hard to make the fancy play. The possession numbers and the eye test both conclude that Gudas struggled for most of the campaign.
With all that said, it would probably be wise to cut Gudas a little bit of slack. This is a player who was tasked with a top four role on a weak blue line despite the fact that he only had a handful of NHL games under his belt to start the year. The experience he gained this season, both the successes and failures, will serve him well in the future. He’s a player everybody outside Bolts Nation loves to hate, and that’s a quality this Lightning team needs a little bit more of.
Grade: C+
Victor Hedman – 75GP, 13G, 42A There’s a reason that Victor Hedman is receiving Norris Trophy buzz. Arguably the most underrated defenseman in the league, Hedman took a huge step forward this year in the offensive zone. Lightning fans knew that he was good in the defensive zone, but I’m not sure they had any idea that he would turn into a 50+ point player as soon as this season.
Not much more needs to be said. All the hockey world needs to know is that THIS is the player Lightning fans envisioned back in 2009 when the team selected him second overall.
Grade: A+
Eric Brewer – 77GP, 4G, 13A And the award for “Most Improved Lightning Player… goes to… Eric Brewer!
When Guy Boucher coached the Lightning, he rode Brewer into the ground. The veteran defender was forced into a top pairing role that he just wasn’t fit for, and it showed. This season, as a bottom pairing stalwart, Brewer was incredibly effective. He could be relied on to make smart decisions with the puck, clear the defensive zone, and settle things down. That’s exactly what you want out of a guy on your third pairing. Brewer is nothing fancy, but he got the job done for 77 games this year.
Grade: B
Matt Carle – 82GP, 2G, 29A Well, he played all the games. That’s where the positives end for Matt Carle this season. When Steve Yzerman signed the former Philadelphia Flyer to a big deal with $5.5MM per year, I have to imagine that he expected more than what we’ve seen to this point.
Like his defense partner Gudas, Carle was torn apart by opposition offenses. Billed as a slick, puck-moving defenseman when he came to town, Carle often found himself chasing as the other team controlled the puck. For a guy who doesn’t bring much in the way of physicality, that simply isn’t good enough.
Grade: D
Let me know what grades you would give these players by commenting on the thread. I’ll be back with the forwards soon. As always, thanks for reading.