Looking ahead for the Tampa Bay Lightning: Assess but don't panic

As each NHL team is eliminated from playoff contention -- either mathematically or by losing in the postseason -- we'll take a look at why its quest for the Stanley Cup fell short in 2018-19, along with three keys to its offseason, impact prospects for 2019-20 and a way-too-early prediction for what next season will hold.

What went wrong

The regular season ended, that's what went wrong. The Tampa Bay Lightning tied the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for the most regular-season wins in NHL history, with 62. They led the NHL in goals per game (3.89, the highest since 1996), in power-play proficiency (28.2 percent) and on the penalty kill (85.0, tied with two other teams). They were an absolute juggernaut, winning 30 of their games by three or more goals and losing two games in a row in regulation only once, in early November, when Andrei Vasilevskiy was injured.

Until they lost the first two games of their first-round playoff series to the Columbus Blue Jackets, of course.

How the Jackets eliminated the Lightning, the abridged version: with a neutral zone-clogging defensive system, with uncharacteristically effective playoff goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky, with offensive contributions from their star players while the Lightning's were silent, and by winning the special-teams battle, mostly by staying out of the penalty box. They were not the extreme underdog they were portrayed to have been -- winning seven of eight games down the stretch, finishing with the 13th-best record in the NHL -- and simply outplayed the Presidents' Trophy winners.

Keys to the offseason

Don't panic. Seriously. Yes, a first-round defeat is humbling and humiliating for a team that was expected to waltz away with the Stanley Cup. But that doesn't change the fact that the Lightning were expected to do so after an historic regular season, and that they could very well be expected to do so again with the team they return next season.

Under contract through 2022: Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and with Brayden Point (a restricted free agent this summer) soon joining them. The common theme for these players? That they're all under 30. The plan was always to contend during that span. There's no reason to let a sweep at the hands of a locked-in opponent (and without a healthy Hedman) encourage the front office to blow up the team.

That said, see a therapist. Staying the course doesn't mean sticking your head in the sand. This was the first time in NHL history a Presidents' Trophy winner was swept out of the first round. There's something fundamentally wrong with this team when adversity strikes in the playoffs. Johnson said it himself: The Lightning's confidence was shot after blowing that 3-0 lead in Game 1, and it carried over to Game 2, and so forth.

How can that possibly happen to a team with 128 points in the standings? Why did Tampa Bay try to win Game 1, like, 8-0 when 3-0 would have sufficed? Why did Kucherov, a likely MVP, get himself suspended out of frustration in Game 2? Why did the penalty kill look like an EA Sports game set on "easy"? Why was Jon Cooper outcoached by John Tortorella? Why?

Address the blue line. The one area of the Lightning that will see some turnover is on defense, where Anton Stralman (32), Braydon Coburn (34), Dan Girardi (34) and Jan Rutta (28) are all unrestricted free agents. That's over $13.4 million in salary cap space that'll open up if they all walk away, giving the Lightning the chance to remake their back end. (Or, if they really wanted to get dramatic, find room for Hedman's Swedish pirate buddy Erik Karlsson, who is also a pending free agent.)

Impact prospects for 2019-20

Cal Foote, D, age 20: The first season in the AHL has been one of growth in a lot of ways for Foote. Defensively, Foote was solid as usual. He appeared in all 76 games for Syracuse this season, playing the strong defensive game with physicality mixed in. Foote also had 31 points this season, a very respectable number for a 20-year-old defenseman in the AHL. Given the Lightning's potential turnover on the blue line next season, there should be a spot for Foote to earn in camp. He has the hockey sense, the mobility and the bloodlines -- father Adam Foote played 19 NHL seasons -- to make it work.

Carter Verhaeghe, C/W, age 23: To be honest, coming into this season, I had kind of written Verhaeghe off. He was a good-not-great prospect, and after being traded to the Lightning last season, and I wondered how he'd make it to the NHL after going to his third organization before ever playing in an NHL game. But this season, Verhaeghe led the AHL in points, with 82, and was tied for top goal scorer in the league (34) with teammate Alex Barre-Boulet.

Verhaeghe has always been a pretty quick, aggressive forward with some smarts, but never seemed to put it together. This season, it sure looks like he's figured things out. The Lightning will have to re-sign him, but considering they need to be cost-effective, he's worth a new, affordable contract with some assurances he's going to be given a shot to make the team next season.

Alex Barre-Boulet, C, age 21: Signed as an undrafted free agent last offseason, Barre-Boulet exceeded expectations in his first season in the organization. He tied for the AHL goal-scoring lead with 34 and finished with 68 points. That's a heck of a rookie season by any measure. The more I've watched Barre-Boulet play, the more he's grown on me. There's some tenacity and skill. His defensive play is going to need to pick up for him to become a full-time NHLer, but you can see why the Lightning liked him enough to bring him into the mix. I could see him working his way into a depth role as soon as next season; if not, he's a call-up option over the course of 2019-20.

Realistic expectation for 2019-20

To win the Stanley Cup. There's no reason that shouldn't be the expectation. This isn't the first nor the last time a seemingly unstoppable team was stopped, although few have been stopped this abruptly.

Learn from it. Adapt from it. Look no further than last season's champions for an example of perennial playoff disappointment wiped away with one Cup raise.