G
The Candidates: Simon Gagne, Maxim Galanov, Gerard Gallant, Bruce Gardiner, Mathieu Garon, Jason Garrison, Cameron Gaunce, Aaron Gavey, Bruno Gervais, Randy Gilhen, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Sasha Goc, Barclay Goodrow, Yanni Gourde, Chris Gratton, John Grahame, Brent Gretzky, Radko Gudas, Kristers Gudlevskis, Steve Guolla, Sergey Gusev
The Choice: Chris Gratton
Longevity wins out in this case, even if it’s over three different stints with the team. Picked third overall by the Lightning in the 1993 draft, Gratton spent 15 seasons in the NHL with seven teams, but his most productive years occurred in three different runs with the Lightning, scoring 98 goals and finishing with 259 points in 482 games with Tampa Bay. Among players in team history whose last name begins with G, he’s the leader in games played, goals, assists (161), and points. However, despite some early promise, he never quite lived up to his lofty draft position.
Miscellaneous: If there’s one player in the list for the letter G that could easily usurp Gratton, it’s Gourde. Despite the 28-year-old winger’s 35-game goal drought earlier this season, he’s second behind Gratton among this letter of the alphabet in team history in games played (254), goals (63), assists (88), and points (151). The only question is how much longer Gourde sticks around. With the Lightning facing a cap crunch after this season, decisions about the roster will have to be made, and players like Gourde, Tyler Johnson, and Alex Killorn have been talked about as being players that could be on the move despite having some form of trade protection on their contracts.
H
The Candidates: David Hale, Bob Halkides, Adam Hall, Jeff Halpern, Roman Hamrlik, Ben Hankinson, Johan Harju, Mike Hartman, Dwayne Hay, Victor Hedman, Timo Helbling, Sami Helenius, Riku Helenius, Ian Herbers, Matt Hervey, Jamie Heward, Jan Hlavac, Ken Hodge, Kevin Hodson, Benoit Hogue, Johan Holmqvist, Brian Holzinger, Bill Houlder, Jody Hull, Jamie Huscroft, Andrew Hutchinson
The Choice: Victor Hedman
This is one of the easiest decisions I’ll make in this exercise. Hedman sits fourth in team history in games played (762), fourth in assists (368), sixth in points (473), third in plus-minus (plus-116), 13th in goals (105), 9th in even strength goals (86), and 5th in power play assists (133). In each of the previously mentioned categories, he ranks first among defensemen in franchise history. A two time Second Team All-Star and a First Team All-Star in 2017-18, Hedman also boasts a Norris Trophy and two other seasons in which he was a finalist.
Miscellaneous: Hamrlik was the first draft choice in Bolts history and spent just over five seasons in Tampa, including one All-Star game appearance in 1995-96.
I
None
J
The Candidates: Pat Jablonski, Dan Jancevski, Doug Janik, Craig Janney, Andreas Johansson, Mike Johnson, Ryan Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Jussi Jokinen, Blair Jones, Randy Jones, Chris Joseph, Mathieu Joseph
The Choice: Tyler Johnson
Despite not having a large pool to choose from, this turned out to be another easy choice. In his 534 games with Tampa Bay (eighth-most in team history), Johnson is fifth in goals (153), eight in points (339), fifth in even strength goals (117), fourth in shorthanded goals (eight), and fifth in game-winning goals (29). On top of finishing third in Calder Trophy voting in 2013-14, he also led the league in the 2015 playoffs with 13 goals and 23 points. Those 13 goals were a Lightning record for one postseason.
Miscellaneous: Janik and Mathieu Joseph are the only other players with a surname beginning with the letter J that have surpassed the 100-game mark in team history. Janik suited up for 136 games with the Bolts in 2006-07 and 2007-08 while Joseph has played 107 games in Tampa.
K
The Candidates: Andreas Karlsson, Martins Karsums, Steve Kasper, Sheldon Keefe, Steve Kelly, Dan Kesa, Nikolai Khabibulin, Alexander Kharitonov, Alex Killorn, Geoff Kinrade, Petr Klima, Dieter Kochan, David Koci, Slater Koekkoek, Olaf Kolzig, Zenon Konopka, Evgeny Konstantinov, Chris Kontos, Dimitry Korobov, Mike Kostka, Lukas Krajicek, Filip Kuba, Pavel Kubina, Nikita Kucherov, Kristian Kudroc, Chris Kunitz, Cody Kunyk
The Choice: Nikita Kucherov
While going through the alphabet, I struggled more with the letter K more than any other letter in franchise history, and it came down to a pair of Russians: Khabibulin and Kucherov. My thought process pitted Kucherov’s regular season and playoff production, awards, and the fact that he’s still in his prime against Khabibulin’s contribution to the 2004 Cup-winning team. Without Khabibulin, there is no Cup banner hanging from the rafters of Amalie Arena.
With that said, let’s take a deeper look at their tenures in Tampa Bay
During his three full seasons with the Lightning from 2001-02 to 2003-04, Khabibulin was one of 19 goalies in the league to start at least 150 games. Of those 19 goalies, he ranked seventh in save percentage (.914), eight in goals-against average (2.39), faced the fifth-most shots (5,206), and made the sixth-most saves (4,652). On the other hand, Khabibulin never won any major individual awards or made any postseason All-Star teams. The highest he finished in Vezina Trophy voting in his career was eighth in 2002-03. During the 03-04 regular season, Khabibulin was decent, but not great. However, he caught fire at the right time in the playoffs and the rest was history. If he didn’t face competition from Kucherov, he’d probably get the nod here, especially after ending the revolving door that had been the Lightning’s crease for a few years before that.
However, it’s just too difficult to ignore the impact Kucherov has had over a longer period of time
In seven seasons, Kucherov already ranks in the top 10 or top 5 in Lightning history in most relevant offensive categories. The 26-year-old transformed from a skilled winger who couldn’t hit the net in his rookie season to one of the elite offensive players in the entire league. Despite his less-than-stellar performance in last year’s playoffs, Kucherov sits tied for sixth with Ryan Getzlaf among all active NHL players in playoff points (61) since his rookie season of 2013-2014. The players ahead of him? Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Logan Couture, Alex Ovechkin, and Nicklas Backstrom. His 29 playoff goals include six game-winners, two of them overtime-winning tallies.
There’s also the three First or Second Team All-Star nods to go along with the fact he is the reigning winner of the Hart, Ted Lindsay, and Art Ross Trophies. Kucherov was also on pace for his third consecutive 100-point season before the NHL hit the pause button. All of that, combined with his increased offensive production over the last five years, make him the choice here.
Miscellaneous: In addition to Kucherov and Khabibulin, the letter K is pretty top-heavy with the additions of Kubina and Killorn, who rank fifth (662) and sixth (585) in games played in team history, respectively. Before the league paused the season, Killorn already scored 26 goals and 49 points, both career-bests.
L
The Candidates: Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Jason Lafreniere, Daymond Langkow, Mario Larocque, Matt Lashoff, Janne Laukkanen, Jay Leach, Vinny Lecavalier, Grant Ledyard, Brian Lee, Junior Lessard, Anders Lindback, David Littman, Chris Lipuma, Brad Lukowich, Mike Lundin
The Choice: Vinny Lecavalier
Come on, you didn’t think it was gonna be anyone else, did you? He’s played the most games in franchise history and he sits second on the team’s all-time list in goals, assists, points, even strength goals, power play goals, and third in shorthanded goals and game-winning goals. He’s got a Rocket Richard Trophy to his name, one First Team All-Star nod, and owns a Cup ring from 2004. Oh yeah, the team also retired his number in 2018.
M
The Candidates: Marek Malik, Troy Mallette, Ryan Malone, Steve Maltais, Paul Mara, Jonathan Marchessault, Bryan Marchment, Pat Maroon, Danick Martel, Steve Martins, Chris McAlpine, Mike McBain, Sandy McCarthy, Ryan McDonagh, Bill McDougall, Curtis McElhinney, Mike McKenna, Tye McGinn, Greg McKegg, Basil McRae, Josef Melichar, Andrej Meszaros, Glen Metropolit, Vladimir Mihalik, Brendan Mikkelson, Craig Millar, Drew Miller, J.T. Miller, Norm Milley, Fredrik Modin, Michel Mongeau, Dominic Moore, Brenden Morrow, Bryan Muir, Cory Murphy, Brantt Myhres
The Choice: Fredrik Modin
Plenty of quantity for the letter M, but much like K, it’s very top-heavy. In terms of longevity with the franchise, overall body of work, and his contribution to a Cup champion, Modin earns the nod. With the exception of finishing ninth in Selke voting in 2004, the 6’4″, 220-pound winger never came all that close to any major individual awards. However, he was a solid two-way player who possessed a knack for scoring goals. In his six seasons in Tampa, he topped 20 goals four times, which also includes a pair of 30-goal seasons.
Miscellaneous: Malone spent six seasons with the Bolts, topping three goals 20 times and contributing six points in the Lightning’s 2011 run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, he never quite lived up to the big free agent contract he signed with Tampa Bay in 2008. Moore was a quality bottom-six forward in Tampa Bay for two years, while McDonagh has been a really solid addition to the team’s blue line since arriving two years ago at the trade deadline.
N
The Candidates: Vlad Namestnikov, Evgeni Nabokov, Andrei Nazarov, Stan Neckar, Nikita Nesterov, Janne Niskala, Antero Nittymaki, Jeff Norton, Michael Nylander
The Choice: Vlad Namestnikov
Much like the letter E, there wasn’t much in the way of depth and there wasn’t much in the way of high-end game-breakers. The former 2011 first round pick essentially wins this one by default. Among players whose last name starts with N in Lightning history, he leads this particular list in games played, goals, assists, and points. A versatile player who played up and down the lineup, Namestnikov didn’t quite live up to the billing of being a first round pick. However, he was a solid contributor whose best season in 2017-18 (while playing with Kucherov and Steven Stamkos) eventually led to his inclusion in the McDonagh trade.
O
The Candidates: Doug O’Brien, Shane O’Brien, Evan Oberg, Mattias Ohlund, Jimmie Olvestad, Keith Osborne, Michel Ouellet
The Choice: Mattias Ohlund
Another letter with little in the way of depth, and like Namestnikov and Erne, the choice here is basically a default pick. When you mention Ohlund’s name to Lightning fans, you’re likely to get an eye roll due to the fact his contract was on the books for five seasons after he played his last game in a Bolts sweater.
Unfortunately, that was due to a knee injury that required surgery, which eventually led to more surgery down the road, ending his career after playing his last NHL game on May 27, 2011, which was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. If he had retired, the team would’ve been stuck with salary cap recapture penalties due to having been signed before the new CBA went into effect in January 2013. Over the years, the running joke on Twitter before a Lightning game was whether or not Ohlund was going to play.
Looking back on it, it’s a shame, because after signing with the Bolts as a free agent in the summer of 2009, Ohlund was a solid and physical, albeit unspectacular player on the Lightning’s blue line. The veteran Swede served as a mentor to a young Victor Hedman and was a steady presence during the Lightning’s surprising run to the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, his time in Tampa will be more remembered for the injury that cut his career short. However, when compared to the other players in franchise history under the letter O, Ohlund remains a pretty clear cut choice for this alphabetical exericise.
P
The Candidates: Ondrej Palat, Richard Panik, Cedric Paquette, Mark Parrish, Eddie Pasquale, Matthew Peca, Eric Perrin, Brent Peterson, Richard Petiot, Michel Petit, Robert Petrovicky, Matt Pettinger, Alexandre Picard, Adrien Plavsic, Rudy Poeschek, Brayden Point, Marek Posmyk, Patrick Poulin, Benoit Pouliot, Marc Pouliot, Nolan Pratt, Wayne Primeau, Vinny Prospal, Daren Puppa, Teddy Purcell, Tom Pyatt
The Choice: Ondrej Palat
So before any of you rip me a new one for this pick and wonder why I didn’t choose Point, don’t worry. Whenever this alphabetical list gets revisited in the future, there’s a really good chance that Point will be the greatest player in Lightning history whose last name starts with a P, if not one of the team’s best all-around players ever when it’s all said and done.
In the meantime, the honor goes to Palat
Palat has played in 496 games over the course of seven-plus seasons in Tampa Bay. Known for his two-way play, Palat sits eighth in team history in assists, ninth in points, tied for fifth in shorthanded goals, and ninth in game-winning goals.
Palat also finished second in Calder Trophy voting in 2013-14 and has received past Selke consideration as well. In 62 career playoff games, he’s also notched 21 goals and 42 points.
Miscellaneous: Prospal deserves a mention here, as he actually has more goals, assists, and points than Palat over three different stints with the Lightning, but Palat’s playoff contributions take precedence. Point is already the team’s all-time shooting percentage leader at 17.3% and has 262 points in 295 games. Barring anything unforeseen, he’ll take Palat’s spot on this listing down the road. Puppa was the Lightning’s first ever Vezina Trophy finalist, finishing third in voting in 1995-96 when the Bolts made the playoffs for the first time ever.. However, injuries derailed his career, forcing an early retirement.
