Marc Bergevin, D (T-Pit); Boyd Kane, LW (FA-Phi); Kristian Kudroc, D (FA-Fla); Vaclav Prospal, C/LW (FA-Ana)
Nikolai Khabibulin has a lot to prove to the Tampa Bay management. A mediocre 2002-03 season, which ended with him sitting on the bench for the final game of the playoffs, has weakened his grip on the starting job. Back-up John Grahame is pushing hard for the No. 1 spot.
But expect Khabibulin to bounce back with his usual flair. The 30-year-old Russian is considered one of the most talented and durable netminders in the league and owns a save percentage of .918 over the past four years.
The offensive talent is there. The Bolts were the only NHL team last season to have four players – Vaclav Prospal, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards – score at least 70 points. They weren't able to keep Prospal around, but they made up for the loss by acquiring Cory Stillman.
Diminutive winger St. Louis had a breakout season last year. It will be interesting if he can equal those numbers. The Bolts expect to see a little more production out of winger Fredrik Modin. Dave Andreychuk will play one more season as captain of the Lightning in 2003-04 and fills a valuable role on special teams.
Dan Boyle is top gun on a defence that's pretty solid but still needs improvement. Boyle is expected to play a huge role again on the power play, where he scored eight of his 13 goals. Pavel Kubina is good for a few points from the blue line, as well. The rest of the defensive core, made up of Jassen Cullimore, Cory Sarich and Janne Laukkanen, are good at minding their own zone but are limited offensively.
It took longer than expected, but Vincent Lecavalier has become a consistent scoring threat in the NHL. Just two years ago, critics were ready to file Lecavalier's name into the first-overall bust category. But the lanky forward turned things around last year, scoring 33 goals and 78 points. Blessed with uncanny vision, he has excellent hand-eye co-ordination and surprisingly soft hands for a big man.
