Comparing the Lightning Core to Ottawa’s Prospects

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - SEPTEMBER 28: The Tampa Bay Lightning pose for their team photo with the Stanley Cup following the series-winning victory over the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on September 28, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA - SEPTEMBER 28: The Tampa Bay Lightning pose for their team photo with the Stanley Cup following the series-winning victory over the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on September 28, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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The Tampa Bay Lightning finally got over the hump Monday night and won the Stanley Cup

It was the second cup for Ottawa’s expansion cousins, while the Sens are still searching for their first.

Tampa Bay won the Cup thanks in large part to their homegrown talent, and with Ottawa having one of the top prospect system’s in the league, there is room for optimism for the Sens. But how do their young players stack up to Tampa’s? Today we’re going to look at some of Tampa’s core pieces and see if there are comparables in Ottawa’s system.

Of course, Tampa also won thanks to some of the veterans they added such as Blake Coleman, Patrick Maroon, and Kevin Shattenkirk, not to mention great coaching, development, and yes, ownership. All of these areas are potential concerns for Ottawa to differing degrees, and may ultimately hold the team back from reaching Tampa Bay’s level, but for today we’re only interested in the potential of the young core.