NHL Preview 2024-25 115 SportsForecaster.com

Forwards

Cam Atkinson [RW]

  • Age: 35
  • Ht: 5-8
  • Wt: 176
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Phi 70 13 15 28 -22 27 0.40
Career 809 253 236 489 -11 194 0.60
Forecast 74 15 16 31 - - 0.42

Injuries and age seem to have caught up with Atkinson, a seven-time 20-goal scorer who sat out all of 2022-23 with a neck injury. He was pointless in his final 23 games in '23-24, and unsurprisingly, his average ice time (15:57) was his lowest in a decade. His plus/minus rating (–22) and shooting percentage (7.4%) were career worsts.

Mitchell Chaffee [LW/RW]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 204
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 30 4 3 7 2 4 0.23
Career 105 16 9 25 0 29 0.24
Forecast 52 6 8 14 - - 0.27

The 26-year-old winger rebounded from a bad knee injury that wiped out most of his 2022-23 campaign to get his first substantial NHL opportunity in 2023-24. Chaffee will go to the dirty areas, win his share of puck battles and forecheck well. Despite playing just 30 games with the Lightning, his 88 hits were sixth among the forwards.

Anthony Cirelli [C]

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 191
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 79 20 25 45 2 38 0.57
Career 576 144 197 341 158 295 0.59
Forecast 80 22 28 50 - - 0.63

The 27-year-old is a Swiss Army knife at forward. Cirelli is a natural center but can also play wing, up and down the lineup. He provides secondary scoring, kills penalties and can be used against an opponent's top line. He hit the 20-goal and 45-point marks for the first time last season and averaged a career-high 18:31 of ice time.

Michael Eyssimont [LW/RW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 191
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 81 11 14 25 7 104 0.31
Career 265 33 41 74 7 261 0.28
Forecast 80 12 17 29 - - 0.36

The late bloomer finally got a chance to be an NHL regular in 2023-24 and he ran with it, establishing himself as a useful, versatile forward with some scoring touch and a dose of snarl (his 104 PIM led the Lightning). He made the most of his limited ice time (11:51 TOI/GP), bringing speed and energy while being a pest for opponents.

Zemgus Girgensons [LW/C]

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 192
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Buf 63 8 6 14 -1 21 0.22
Career 836 99 111 210 -74 268 0.25
Forecast 70 9 7 16 - - 0.23

A 30-year-old veteran of 11 NHL campaigns with Buffalo, Girgensons has been mostly used as a fourth-line forward and penalty killer. He has never registered more than the 15 goals and 30 points he put up in 2014-15, and his ice time continues to drop (a career-low 11:51 TOI/GP in '23-24). His biggest selling point is his versatility.

Luke Glendening [W/C]

  • Age: 35
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 190
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 81 10 1 11 -2 39 0.14
Career 925 84 90 174 -93 314 0.19
Forecast 78 6 3 9 - - 0.12

He has made a living as a defensive forward and penalty killer for 11 seasons now. Last season, a career-best shooting percentage (17.5%) helped him reach double figures in goals for the first time since '18-19. He can match up against middle-six forwards and has won at least 55 percent of his draws in each of the past seven seasons.

Jake Guentzel [W/C]

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 178
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Pit/Car 67 30 47 77 25 22 1.15
Career 673 303 348 651 101 309 0.97
Forecast 77 42 40 82 - - 1.06

The veteran portsider did not need Sidney Crosby to thrive last season, averaging 1.47 points per game after being traded to Carolina. Also, Guentzel has averaged more than a point per game over the past six seasons and hit the 30-goal mark for the third straight campaign in '23-24–despite an upper-body injury that cost him 12 games.

Brandon Hagel [LW]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 180
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 82 26 49 75 1 79 0.91
Career 443 160 210 370 68 289 0.84
Forecast 81 31 42 73 - - 0.90

He plays bigger than his size (6'2'', 183 pounds), skates well and does not back down in puck battles. Hagel set career highs in assists and points last campaign and also averaged a career-best 19:15 of ice time. He can play either wing, is good at both ends of the ice and has an excellent combination of skill, will, effort and grit.

Nikita Kucherov [RW]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 180
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 81 44 100 144 8 22 1.78
Career 870 397 718 1115 202 430 1.28
Forecast 82 39 88 127 - - 1.55

The defending NHL scoring champion can take over a game with his offensive skills. He makes the power play go with his passing acumen and vision, as well as his ability to rip shots and score from the back door. Kucherov has elite creativity, and he gets oodles of time when Tampa Bay has the man advantage (4:03 PP TOI/GP in 2023-24).

Nick Paul [C/W]

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 230
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 82 24 22 46 -16 27 0.56
Career 528 103 109 212 -33 200 0.40
Forecast 82 20 20 40 - - 0.49

Paul's offensive game has grown since he was dealt to the Bolts at the '22 trade deadline. He topped 20 goals and 45 points for the first time last campaign, largely because he capitalized on a big jump in his average power-play ice time. He is responsible defensively and has won more than 54 percent of his face-offs since the trade.

Brayden Point [C/LW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 175
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 81 46 44 90 -16 14 1.11
Career 712 323 358 681 89 161 0.96
Forecast 81 49 45 94 - - 1.16

He followed up his 51-goal season in 2022-23 with 46 last campaign, including a league-leading 12 game winners. Point is a good puck distributor but even better as a shooter. Creative and competitive, he can be extremely hard to defend against. He plays with pace and wins more than his share of puck battles, despite his limited size.

Conor Sheary [RW/LW]

  • Age: 32
  • Ht: 5-8
  • Wt: 182
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 57 4 11 15 -3 12 0.26
Career 647 129 153 282 6 140 0.44
Forecast 69 10 16 26 - - 0.38

The two-time Cup champ is coming off an awful season with the Lightning, one that saw him go 35 games without a goal in one stretch. Sheary also spent over one month on the injured list. He ended 2023-24 with a paltry four goals and 15 points in just 11:06 of average ice time. Sheary can play anywhere in the lineup but is in decline.

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Erik Cernak

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 230
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 69 2 11 13 5 63 0.19
Career 493 25 94 119 94 437 0.24
Forecast 71 2 13 15 - - 0.21

The right-shooting defensive D-man is the kind of player who is not easy to replace when he is out of the lineup. He is a big (6'3'', 230 pounds), physical force (198 hits, 109 blocks in '23-24) who is also a good skater and a safe, reliable puck mover. However, he has yet to finish with more than five goals or 18 points in a season.

Victor Hedman

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 6-7
  • Wt: 244
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 78 13 63 76 18 76 0.97
Career 1164 172 639 811 192 782 0.70
Forecast 79 11 60 71 - - 0.90

The best defenseman in Lightning history keeps rolling along: he registered his second-best mark in both assists (63) and points (76) in '23-24. At 33, Hedman is still a workhorse (24:48 TOI/GP in '23-24) who plays in every game situation and can match up against top lines. His hockey IQ is elite, and he also paces himself very well.

Ryan McDonagh

  • Age: 35
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 219
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Nsh 74 3 29 32 19 31 0.43
Career 1050 86 349 435 298 383 0.41
Forecast 75 4 26 30 - - 0.40

The two-time Cup winner is back in Tampa Bay after two seasons with Nashville. McDonagh logs heavy minutes against the opposition's top lines and on the penalty kill. He is excellent at reading plays and rarely overreacts. Offensively, he is a decent puck mover who opts for the safe play. He is not physical but blocks a lot of shots.

J.J. Moser

  • Age: 24
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 181
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Ari 80 5 21 26 -5 35 0.33
Career 330 25 88 113 37 173 0.34
Forecast 81 6 27 33 - - 0.41

He is one of those NHL players easy to overlook. Moser eats up 20 minutes or so per contest, produces 25-30 points per season and spends plenty of time killing penalties. Moser is a smart, competitive rearguard who can fill a variety of roles along the blueline adequately. Unfortunately, what he is now may already be his NHL ceiling.

Nick Perbix

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 206
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 77 2 22 24 8 10 0.31
Career 291 16 57 73 15 72 0.25
Forecast 80 3 20 23 - - 0.29

The 26-year-old has gone from a sixth-round draft pick in '17 to an NHL D-man with two solid seasons under his belt, mainly in a bottom-pairing gig. He can get in shooting lanes to block shots (a team-high 114 in '23-24), and he uses his size and long reach to disrupt opponents. He is not overly physical, nor an offensive risk taker.

Darren Raddysh

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 202
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 82 6 27 33 -3 21 0.40
Career 242 33 106 139 28 89 0.57
Forecast 82 7 30 37 - - 0.45

Morphing from an offensive defenseman in the AHL into a more all-around type, Raddysh has had to alter his game at the NHL level. That does not mean his offense has disappeared (33 points in '23-24). He skates and distributes the puck well, has fine on-ice vision and owns a cannon of a shot. He appeared in all 82 games last campaign.

Jonas Johansson

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 218
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
TB 26 12 7 5 2 3.37 0.89
Career 104 43 35 14 4 3.28 0.889
Forecast 21 9 - - 0 3.31 0.892

He held down the fort while the Bolts waited for their star goaltender to return, then played just one game after late February because of injury. At 6'5'', Johansson takes up space in the net and relies on positioning and squaring up to shooters instead of athleticism. He does not always track pucks from side to side quickly enough.

Andrei Vasilevskiy

  • Age: 30
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 228
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
TB 52 30 20 2 2 2.9 0.9
Career 591 366 175 39 42 2.5 0.917
Forecast 61 37 - - 5 2.56 0.918

He missed the first few weeks of last season after back surgery and registered the poorest goals-against average and save percentage of his career. Coincidence? He is massive in the net and a high-end competitor. Also, he reacts efficiently to chances around his crease and has the athleticism to make saves other 'tenders cannot make.