Season Preview: 3 questions facing the Lightning
theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.
A Stanley Cup Final loss at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014-15; a Game 7 Eastern Conference Final loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015-16.
So what does 2016-17 have in store for the Tampa Bay Lightning?
Here are three question facing one of the NHL's most legitimate contenders:
Is Ben Bishop a goner?
Heading into the final year of his contract and facing unrestricted free agency next summer, Ben Bishop's future is one of the biggest question marks hanging over the Lightning.
Related - Bishop: Trade to Flames was 'close,' discussed extension
General manager Steve Yzerman is on record as taking a strong "maybe, maybe not" stance in regards to whether he'll be forced to trade one of his goalies prior to the 2017 trade deadline, but the reality is only one can be protected in advance of an expansion draft, and the team has already re-upped with Andrei Vasilevskiy on a three-year, $10.5-million contract that kicks in at the beginning of next season.
As good as Bishop has been for Tampa Bay - and make no mistake, he's been as important as anyone to the team's success in recent years - Vasilevskiy is younger, and proved he's up for the task of taking the starting job when pressed into action for an injured Bishop during the playoffs.
The Lightning could very well win the Cup this season, but with Vasilevskiy serving as the goalie of record.
Is the Drouin saga really over?
If we look at Jonathan Drouin's performance in the playoffs, it'd be logical to assume the five goals and nine assists recorded in 17 games were a natural and fitting conclusion to a breakout season for the third overall pick in 2013.
Not so, as Drouin's season was marked by a demotion to the AHL, a public trade request, a team suspension for failing to report to a game, and, ultimately, a reunion made necessary by Steven Stamkos' absence in the postseason due to a blood clot.
The 21-year-old can indeed be a big-game player when put in position to succeed, and while the two sides appear to have hugged it out, questions remain as to how head coach Jon Cooper will use Drouin in the context of a fully healthy lineup, and whether player and team can come to an agreement on his next contract once Drouin hits restricted free-agent status next summer.
How long can the band stay together?
Yzerman drew praise for inking Stamkos and Victor Hedman to reasonable long-term extensions during the offseason, but there remain a few murky contract situations that could prove difficult to resolve.
With the World Cup set to begin, star winger Nikita Kucherov remains without a contract for 2016-17, and he's arguably the most important forward in Tampa Bay apart from Stamkos.
On top of that, Drouin, Tyler Johnson, and Ondrej Palat are all set to become restricted free agents at season's end, and all three will command and deserve significant raises.
Even if Bishop is sacrificed on the altar of cap space, Yzerman will need to shed another contract or two (Ryan Callahan, Valtteri Filppula, and Jason Garrison come to mind) in order to keep all these core pieces.
Godspeed, Stevie Y.