Maroon: 'I truly think' Lightning can complete 3-peat

Pat Maroon believes the Tampa Bay Lightning can win a third straight Stanley Cup next season.

"I truly think we can run it back again," Maroon said, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith. "It depends on our health, how guys are feeling, our attitude. But we've been texting together as a group and thinking, we've brought our top two lines back, our big four on D, the best goalie in the world."

The Lightning could become the first team to win three consecutive championships since the New York Islanders won four from 1980-83.

Tampa Bay lost a number of key contributors this offseason, including Yanni Gourde, Tyler Johnson, Barclay Goodrow, and Blake Coleman. The club also added a number of veterans, such as Corey Perry, Zach Bogosian, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

Despite the significant roster turnover, Maroon is happy the majority of the team's key contributors are returning.

"Brayden Point, Kuch (Nikita Kucherov), and (Ondrej Palat) are coming back," Maroon said. "There's no doubt in my mind we can run it back. Guys want to do it again. That's why we play."

Maroon has lifted the Stanley Cup in three straight seasons, having won with the St. Louis Blues before he joined the Lightning in 2019. He notched four goals and 14 assists in 55 games with Tampa Bay last season and added four points in the playoffs.