Who will make the Lightning’s postseason roster and taxi squad?

TAMPA, Fla. — Though the Lightning were one of just two teams to vote no on the 24-team playoff format, the players were unanimous in another area:

They all wanted to play.

And with Phase 2 of the return — small group practices — starting next week in Tampa, we’re likely about a month away from training camps opening (as long as the players association approves it by vote). Coaches are preparing for potential playoff opponents, and the Lightning are set for a three-game round-robin for seeding in the East.

We don’t know exactly when the Stanley Cup playoffs will start, but teams are expected to be able to carry around 28 skaters (and unlimited goalies) on their rosters during the postseason. That official number is still being negotiated by the NHLPA and NHL.

So who will be on Tampa Bay’s squad?

The Lightning should be healthy by the time camp starts, so that means captain Steven Stamkos and defensemen Jan Rutta, Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh will all be ready to go. That gives Tampa Bay eight defensemen (plus Zach Bogosian, whom they picked up in February) and 14 forwards who spent a good chunk of the season on the NHL roster.

There are plenty of prospects to choose from, as well, and that should make for some interesting decisions.

First, let’s start with the guarantees, the players who were on the roster (or injured) at the time of the pause:

Forwards (14)

Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat, Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli, Blake Coleman, Tyler Johnson, Barclay Goodrow, Yanni Gourde, Pat Maroon, Cedric Paquette, Carter Verhaeghe, Mitchell Stephens

Defensemen (9)

Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev, Jan Rutta, Erik Cernak, Kevin Shattenkirk, Braydon Coburn, Zach Bogosian, Luke Schenn

Goalies (2)

Andrei Vasilevskiy, Curtis McElhinney

Projected postseason lineup:

Forwards

A key question during the upcoming training camp will be how Stamkos has recovered from his early-March core surgery. Other NHLers have described the path back from such a procedure, and it sounds like Stamkos will be good to go when practice starts. Stamkos has been skating up to three days a week at Amalie Arena, so he could be in better hockey shape than anyone else on the roster. But it’s one thing to be skating on your own and another to get into game-like situations.

At the time of the shutdown, the Lightning were still getting a feel for how deadline acquisitions Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow fit into the lineup and the dressing room. Coach Jon Cooper will have many different options for his lineup, which would likely vary depending on the team they face in the first round after the three-game round-robin against the other three top seeds in the East.

Cooper could choose to go with his nuclear line of Stamkos-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov up top or decide to split Stamkos onto the second line with Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli. While Carter Verhaeghe was on the 23-man roster at the end of the season, largely because he couldn’t clear waivers, there’s also a good chance that Mitchell Stephens would be the next player in the lineup in case of an injury.

Defensemen

The Lightning blue line was banged up at the time of the mid-March pause, with Rutta still recovering from a lower-body injury and both Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh dealing with minor injuries. Cooper said all of them should be ready for the start of camp, so Tampa Bay has a stable of nine defensemen to choose from.

Zach Bogosian, acquired in March as a low-risk depth option, could provide a physical presence during the playoffs if the need arises. So can Luke Schenn, who would join Braydon Coburn as the extra defensemen. If Rutta is indeed healthy, it would make sense that he starts back in the top pair with Hedman, as the two were a really good fit during the season. Cernak and McDonagh have been the shutdown pair for a good portion of the last two years, and Sergachev and Shattenkirk meshed well during the Russian’s breakout season.

Goalies

Andrei Vasilevskiy turned his season around in December, helping propel the Lightning on their major push to near the top of the Eastern Conference. The Vezina Trophy winner regaining his form bodes well heading into the postseason, though the Russian will likely need some time to acclimate as he hasn’t faced shots in months. Vasilevskiy, who had an .856 save percentage in the Lightning’s stunning playoff sweep last spring, vowed then that he has to be better. And his team would expect nothing less heading into the postseason.

McElhinney, in his first season as the Lightning backup, came as advertised, a solid pro on and off the ice.

Taxi-squad candidates

Assuming those 23 skaters are healthy, they’d be the top options to pick from for the 18 in each night’s lineup. And there can be unlimited goalies, with Tampa Bay bringing Scott Wedgewood and, potentially, Mike Condon as extras. But that still leaves at least five open skater spots for the taxi squad, which would include some top prospects from the AHL.

Here are their options:

Alex Volkov: Though the Russian winger remains a “mystery” to some scouts, Volkov is still intriguing to the Lightning brass and his teammates. Volkov, 22, didn’t make a big impact in his several call-ups last season (one assist, minus-6 in nine games), but he has a strong skill set and ability that could be of use in a reserve role. The coaching staff clearly has had no problem playing him with their top players in NHL games.

Mathieu Joseph: Joseph bounced back from a humbling midseason demotion to AHL Syracuse and seemed to find his game and confidence with the Crunch, according to coach Ben Groulx. With Joseph’s NHL experience, there’s no doubt the 23-year-old winger will find a spot on the taxi squad.

“I think he did a great job getting back and accepting the situation and investing himself in his career,” Groulx said. “He was doing extra after practice, doing extra in the gym, trying to get better. …

“It was a lesson for him to get sent down and a good lesson to have at an early age. Sometimes you think you’re going to be (in the NHL) forever, and all of a sudden, you realize you have to be your best every day. It took him 2-3 weeks to accept his demotion, and at the end, he was one of the top forwards on our team in terms of scoring chances, creating offense and work ethic. He had his head in the right place.”

Cal Foote: The Lightning’s top defensive prospect will get a strong look in camp this fall to crack the opening night roster, and if the coaching staff is considering him to make that jump, it would make sense to give the 2017 first-round pick a taste of the playoff experience in practice. Groulx said Foote made “phenomenal” strides this past year, his second full pro season, and while he still needs to work on his skating, a lot of the other tools are there.

“He’s become more and more a two-way guy that can play on the second power play, and he’s a better three-zone defenseman,” Groulx said. “He understands the position way better and can compete harder, and he’s more consistent doing the things day in and day out.”

Cory Conacher/Gemel Smith: If the Lightning were going for some more experienced options up front, then Conacher or Smith would be good selections to have in practice as backup options. Smith, 26, is a versatile forward who is relentless on the forecheck and can play on the penalty kill. His ability to overcome depression-like symptoms the past year was inspirational. Groulx praised the way he played toward the end of the year.

Conacher, meanwhile, a veteran of 193 NHL games, could play center/wing and is someone from whom the Lightning know what they’d get (unlike an untested prospect).

Alex Barre-Boulet: The playmaking winger was the Crunch’s AHL All-Star representative this season after racking up 27 goals and 29 assists in 60 games. The 5-foot-9, 172-pound forward may not be NHL ready when it comes to his skating, so that might be something that holds him back. But getting a spot on the taxi squad — with four or five forwards ahead of him — would be a great experience for another prospect hoping to make the jump next year.

Cameron Gaunce/Luke Witkowski: If the Lightning decide to go the veteran route for the taxi squad, they could pick either Gaunce or Witkowski, the Crunch captain. Gaunce has been the first call-up for Tampa Bay the past year and was up with the team during the playoffs last season.

Witkowski, as long as he’s healthy, provides the option of being able to play wing or defense. With the Lightning already having three extra veteran defensemen on their roster (Bogosian, Coburn, Schenn), they might not need to fill their taxi squad with any more.

Boris Katchouk/Taylor Raddysh: Katchouk became a Swiss Army knife for the Crunch, a two-way forward who was dependable on the PK.

Raddysh has a strong shot (19 goals) and really improved this year in battles and in creating space for himself. Both of them, to me, are wild-card options for the taxi squad, with others ahead of them.

Who makes it?

Joseph and Volkov look like locks for the taxi squad. It would make sense for Foote to get another spot, especially for that valuable experience. That leaves two more spots, and I believe either Smith/Conacher will get one and Gaunce the other.

Charts all courtesy of Shayna Goldman. Joe Smith can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @JoeSmithTB.

(Photo of Mikhail Sergachev: Steve Babineau / NHLI via Getty Images)