It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Or so they say.
With Christmas in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take a quick look under the tree to see what gifts ol’ Kris Kringle left behind for your favorite Tampa Bay Lightning players.
For Tyler Johnson… More of the same.
With 13 goals and 37 points through 35 games this year, Johnson doesn’t even know the meaning of ‘sophomore slump’. He’s been fantastic. Santa didn’t need to bring him anything.
For Steven Stamkos… A hint of consistency.
Nobody can deny that Stamkos is one of the game’s most dangerous offensive threats, but he’s also proving to be one of the game’s most inconsistent this year. In the eight games just prior to the break, Stamkos complied a grand total of four points. Even so, he’s still managed to put up 36 points in 36 games. Consistency would do wonders for his totals.
For Nikita Kucherov… A thesis that debunks the "Russian Factor" theory.
He can e-mail a copy of it to every General Manager who passed on him in that 2011 draft. How on earth did he fall to the 58th spot? It’s crazy. Kucherov is proving anyone who tagged “Russian Factor” next to his name wrong each and every single time he steps onto the ice. Good on him.
For Ryan Callahan… A thank-you card.
Thanks for staying. He could have gone somewhere else on July 1st. He could have taken more money elsewhere. He didn’t. Lots of people, including Santa, were skeptical about this signing. It’s a lot of money for a guy who has traditionally struggled to put up big numbers. But, Callahan hasn’t disappointed. He’s been everything the team wanted and more.
For Valtteri Filppula… A share of the spotlight.
After lighting things up last year, Filppula earned himself a lot of credit with the Lightning fan base. It’s been a quieter start to the 2014-15 campaign, and yet he still boasts 25 points through 36 games. Playing largely in a third-line role, Filppula has been just fine. He deserves more credit than he’s getting.
For Ondrej Palat… A spot on the Corsi Hockey League’s all-star team.
Among forwards who have played at least 300 minutes at five-on-five this year, Palat ranks 10th overall in the Corsi department. To say that he’s been a possession driver would be a huge understatement. He’s been a possession tank. That Selke buzz he generated last year wasn’t a fluke. Palat is a special player.
For Jason Garrison… More power play time.
He’s got that cannon in his arsenal. The team might as well give him more of an opportunity to use it.
For Anton Stralman… A set of blank thank-you cards.
He can pass along notes to every member of the New York Rangers’ front office staff who thought it was a good idea to let him walk. He's doing just fine in Tampa.
For Alex Killorn… More credit.
With so many young players doing so much for the Lightning, it often feels like Killorn is the forgotten man. He goes about his business quietly while guys like Kucherov and Johnson generate all the buzz. Killorn isn’t going to be an 80+ point guy this year, but he’s going to be a huge part of the team down the stretch and into the playoffs. This is the kind of player you win with in the postseason. He deserves a whole lot of credit for what he’s done so far this year.
For Victor Hedman… A place in the Norris conversation.
Because he missed a good chunk of time with a hand injury, there seems to be a belief that Hedman has taken himself out of the Norris conversation. All he needs is time. If he can stay healthy and continue to put up points, he should still be part of the discussion.
For Jonathan Drouin… A more concrete spot in the lineup.
Fourth line. First line. Fourth line. Third line. Popcorn duty. First line. It’s been a busy year for Drouin. He’s been moved around a lot. Santa took note of the fact that he’s been playing better of late, and so Drouin will find himself with a more solidified spot moving forward.
For Brian Boyle… An "I'm Sorry" note from Blogger Mike.
I didn't think Boyle would be a huge upgrade on Nate Thompson. I was very, very wrong. Sorry, Brian!
For Matt Carle… A post-retirement job with The Florida Lottery.
He loves giveaways.
For Cedric Paquette… A full-time spot with the Lightning.
Maybe there isn’t room for Paquette right now, but there should be. He’s another one of those guys who just does a lot of things right. He thrives in the bottom-six and brings that physical presence that this Lightning team so desperately needs. His CF% of 53.8% is very impressive for a young guy playing the minutes he does with the linemates he does.
For Brett Connolly… An assist.
Connolly has scored six goals through 24 games this year, which prorates to a 20+ goal year in an 82-game season. Oddly, he hasn’t had his name pop up in the assist column in the NHL since March 24, 2012. That all changes soon thanks to Papa Noel’s generosity.
For Radko Gudas… Clairvoyance.
He needs the ability to know when to go for the big hit, and when not to go for the big hit. With that will come a more reliable Radko Gudas.
For Andrej Sustr… Some more muscle.
Lanky isn’t a strong enough word. Standing at 6’8” and 225 pounds, Sustr isn’t exactly a bulky guy. While he has struggled at times this year, it’s clear that he sees the game well. If he can put on a few pounds of muscle and become that much harder to push off the puck, he’ll become a real threat in the NHL.
For Brenden Morrow… A time machine.
Rewind five-years and Morrow would likely be a key cog for the Bolts on and off the ice. Right now, however, his usefulness on the ice surface is fairly limited. He needs a time machine to get his legs back to where they were. Regardless, Jon Cooper continually praises his work in the room and on the bench. Hopefully those things pay dividends when it counts in the spring.
For J.T. Brown… A little luck.
Have you ever seen a player deal with worse luck than J.T. Brown? It’s bordering on unbelievable. We’re talking TLC reality show unbelievable here, folks. The bounces have to go his way at some point, right? Right?! Thanks, Santa.
For Mark Barberio… Playing time.
He’s played in 13 games this year. The press box doesn’t do him any good.
For Ben Bishop… Health.
We saw what happened to the team when Bishop went down last season. That can’t happen again. The injury that kept him out of the handful of games before the Christmas break was enough of a scare for all of us.
For Evgeni Nabokov… A skating support bar.
He’s had problems staying on his feet. He’s fallen backwards a number of times. Father Christmas is just responding to his needs.
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There you have it. These gifts were left under the Lightning’s Christmas tree. Now we’ll just have to wait and see which players actually took a look under the branches and grabbed what was left for them.
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter. 
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