By Jake Ricker
The Lightning have wrapped up their 2024 media day, officially kicking off the start of training camp. Here is a quick look at everything we learned after talking with players and GM Julien BriseBois.
Jake Guentzel
Jake Guentzel was the first to step up to the podium, and it felt like he was right at home talking about the Lightning as a top organization and how much he looked forward to hitting the ice.
“A lot of high end players, an unbelievable coaching staff, and I have heard unbelievable things about the team and the organization,” said Guentzel. “A lot of people want to come play here because, obviously, it's a winning culture”
Guentzel also talked about getting to know his new teammates and what that experience is like when having more time versus moving over to a new team at the deadline.
"It's different than the trade deadline,” said Guentzel. “You can have some time to get to know people and get acclimated with everything. I have been here the last couple of weeks but, to have training camp and see everything and go through it with these guys, it's going to be a lot of fun"
Guentzel is expected to be one of the top players for the Lightning this year and helping to fill the void left by Steven Stamkos.
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Andrei Vasilevskiy had the most excited deminer out of anyone who spoke today. It certainly looks like he is ready to go after having to miss all of traning camp last season with an injury. Vasilevskiy was asked about that injury and how his routine this season has changed.
"I changed some things,” said Vasilevskiy. “Less weights now and more goalie stuff. I feel, looking at me in the gym, I look silly, the stuff I do, but it is actually really hard"
"I will play 60 to 70 games or whatever the coach will give me ... I realized, off the ice, I have to do something a little different now but, on the ice, I am all in. I love to play a lot"
Vasilevskiy was also asked about what it's not like to have captain Steven Stamkos in the locker room this year.
"It will be my tenth season with the team and my first one without him,” said Vasilevskiy. “It will for sure be weird. He is the best player to ever wear the Lightning uniform and it will be weird to see him to play on the other side"
"I told him to give me a tap once he scores on me. Not if, when."
Nikita Kucherov
Nikita Kucherov, a man of few words, did speak to the media, and the start to his press conference couldn't have been any more on brand for Kuch when asked about his outlook for the season.
“Try to do our best and get in the playoffs and try to win a Stanley Cup.”
If you have ever wondered how much of an impact Steven Stamkos made on the team, when asked about the leadership in the Lightning locker room after Stamkos's departure, Kucherov had much more to say.
"It is hard to replace a guy like him,” said Kucherov. “Everyone has to step up on the ice and off the ice and do everything we can to help the team win and ultimately win the Cup."
Brayden Point
Point was the longest interview of the day and the most well-spoken. Point also spoke about the feeling of the start of training camp without Steven Stamkos.
“I don't think you replace guys like that,” said Point. “I think you adapt and change, and that's what we're going to have to do.”
"Just a friend, a guy, he's such a good guy. He's such a big part of our group & kind of what made us the Lightning. We're gonna have to obviously adapt & find a way to be competitive this year, but just as a guy, that's absolutely how we'll miss him the most."
Point also talked about how the power play might look without Stamkos on the left side.
"Going into camp there are diffrent looks we are going to try,” said Point. “Obiosuly with Stammer on the left side it was so solid with him being there..... that was a big piece of our power play."
Julien BriseBois
JBB came to the podium after the announcement of Victor Hedman becoming the 11th captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Julien spoke about the decision to name Hedman captain.
JBB said that he talked with head coach Jon Cooper, and while they both thought Hedman was the clear choice, they wanted to do their due diligence in regards to selecting the next captain of the team. JBB asked Cooper to survey the players, and he says the results were "unanimous" and that the captain should be Victor Hedman.
"Victor is an all-time great NHL player,” said BriseBois. “If anything, he is underrated. With six straight Norris Trophy nominations, he is in very rare air in the history of our league. He has a Norris, he has a Conn Smythe, two Stanley Cups, four Cup finals, a world championship. He is a very accomplished player. He is one of the best players of his generation and one of the best defensemen in the history of this game."
"What makes him the right guy to be the captain of this team is how special of a person he is. Victor is humble. He is thoughtful. He is extremely competitive. He is proud. He is driven. He is ambitious and he cares deeply about the success of this franchise. He cares about his teammates and he cares about the Tampa Bay community"
JBB also spoke about the young depth the Lightning have this season heading into training camp.
"This is the deepest group of guys that had a shot we've had in a long time, for all sorts of reasons,” BriseBois said.
The full interview for JBB can be found here.
Victor Hedman
In his first press conference as Captain, Hedman spoke on what it meant to him to be given the C.
“It means the world…to lead this team, it's going to be obviously a great honor,” said Hedman. “To get that C on your jerseys, it's a big privilege and a big responsibility, obviously. But I've learned from a lot of great leaders.”
Hedman continued by saying it meant even more to him that his teamates were the ones that picked him. He also talked about his leadship style and what that might look like.
"Through ups and downs, it is going to be a lot of communication and I am going to be honest,” said Hedman. “I am going to be myself. I am not going to change the way I am, the way I crack jokes at guys, that's not going to change."
The full Interview for Hedman can be found here.
Ryan McDonagh
Ryan McDonagh, who was the last player to speak, talked about what it meant to be named an alternate captain and be back with the Lightning.
"It's a great honor,” said McDonagh. “I loved my first tenure here and looking forward to hopefully having more success as a team here."
McDonagh, when asked about the team's defence, which was an issue for the Lightning last year, talked about how it's been a point of emphasis for the team this offseason.
"Every year is a test of how well you can play defensively," said McDonagh. "There is no doubt we have offensive firepower and skill, but we need to find a balance between not taking a lot of risks in our game, being on the same page defensively, taking a lot of pride, and being tough to play against."
Final Thoughts
There were two common themes throughout all of the interviews. The first was Steven Stamkos's absence. Everyone talked about how big of a loss he would be, and he is not a player you can just replace. The second was how different this team looked. Almost all the payers who spoke mentioned how there are a lot of new faces this year. Despite the team being different, everyone also mentioned how excited they were for this upcoming season and how good of a group they still have.
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