Comparing the Lightning Core to Ottawa’s Prospects
By Jack Baines
![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)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/d5a125a77392c501dd2650fdfdb789cdfb744f67cd9ad7ac209da969696a294f.jpg)
So what have we learned? Well at first glance, Ottawa’s top prospects seem to fall a bit short of what Tampa has put together, with all five prospects mentioned above likely project as less than their comparable. But despite how good the Lighting look now, it’s important to remember that all these players were at one point themselves prospects with questions about their game.
One Tampa player not mentioned was Andrei Vasilevskiy, as I do not believe Ottawa has a goaltending prospect that projects to reach that height. Goalie prospects are notoriously hard to project though, so between Filip Gustavsson, Joey Daccord, and others, it’s entirely possible the Sens come out of their rebuild with a young stud between the pipes.
These comparisons left out another crucial factor: Ottawa’s three first-round picks, especially the 3rd and 5th overall selections. Without knowing who they will take in those slots, it’s hard to find a comparable player, but Ottawa will certainly take two players whose potential may top all of their current youngsters, so by the time the draft comes around the team may be in a drastically better position to follow in the Lighting’s footsteps.