The Lightning have hit a plateau in recent years following their own championship run, but they are still very much a playoff team.
They still have high-end talent at the top of the roster, but have needed more secondary-scoring depth. The fact that they are still a playoff team might be attractive, along with the team’s heavy Russian presence, which includes forward Nikita Kucherov and starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who remain among the team’s best players.
The Lightning have lost in the first round three years in a row since their most recent Stanley Cup Final appearance, and are still pretty clearly trying to keep their championship window open for as long as Kucherov, Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman, and Brayden Point are still playing at a high level. There is also some additional familiarity here for Malkin with his former long-time Penguins teammate, forward Jake Guentzel, who is now one of Tampa Bay’s top forwards and scorers.
