The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the most successful expansion franchises in NHL history. With three championships and two other trips to the Cup Final in their 30 seasons, there are plenty of great players to choose from for their top 10 list. They are looking to add a fourth banner to the rafters after a disappointing first-round exit in 2024 with many of the players, like Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov, on this list.
Greatest Lightning player ever: Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos takes the top spot as the greatest player to ever suit up for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is the only player with over 400 goals, notching 555, and tops the list in games played and points in franchise history. Stamkos came back from injury to score a huge goal in the 2020 Cup Final and came back to score eight goals in the 2021 playoffs.
He is a two-time All-Star and a two-time Rocket Richard Award winner for most goals scored. All of those accolades came before he turned 22. Injuries hampered the middle part of his career, but he had his best season in years in 2023-24. He signed with the Nashville Predators this offseason, ending a 16-year run in Tampa Bay.
2. Nikita Kucherov
The Lightning would not have the success they’ve had in recent years if not for Nikita Kucherov. He has been the offensive engine for his entire career and put up another phenomenal season in 2023-24. Kucherov reached 100 assists and won the Art Ross Trophy for most points in the league with 144.
He is a five-time All-Star, the 2019 Hart Trophy winner as the league’s MVP, a two-time Ross winner and fourth in franchise history in games played, goals, assists, and points. He will be an extremely important piece of the Lightning team looking to return to glory in 2024-25.
3. Andrei Vasilevskiy
No dynasty is complete without a goaltender. The Lightning had the best in the league during their run. Andrei Vasilevskiy has won 66 playoff games, including 48 during the three years they went to consecutive Cup Finals. He also led the league in regular season wins for five consecutive seasons beginning in 2017.
Vasilevskiy has won the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender just once but was a finalist three other times. He is a two-time All-Star and won the Conn Smythe Trophy for Playoff MVP in 2021. He remains the starter in Tampa Bay at 30 years old and is signed through the 2028 season.
4. Martin St. Louis
The first retired player on our list, Martin St. Louis was a key part of the Lightning’s first championship in 2004. He won the franchise’s first Hart Trophy that season with a league-leading 56 assists and 94 points. St. Louis then put up a team-high 15 assists in the playoffs that year and helped defeat his former team, the Calgary Flames, in the Cup Final.
He won one MVP, two Ross trophies, and three Lady Byng awards for most gentlemanly player. He was also named a postseason All-Star five times. St. Louis is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, has his number 26 retired by the Lightning, and is the current head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.
5. Victor Hedman
The Lightning went through a rough stretch between their 2004 championship and 2015 Cup Final appearance. In that time, they drafted Steven Stamkos number one overall, and Victor Hedman number two overall. The 2009 draft was a franchise-changing day for the Lightning, who grabbed the greatest defenseman in franchise history after the Islander selected John Tavares. Without Hedman, the dynasty is not the same.
He will overtake Stamkos for most games played in franchise history with 31 more starts. Hedman is a six-time All-Star, a Norris Trophy winner for best defenseman, and the 2020 Conn Smythe winner. He re-signed with the Lightning this year to spend four more years in Tampa Bay.
6. Vincent Lecavalier
Back to the 2004 run, Vincent Lecavalier was another key piece to that team. He scored 32 goals in the regular season and added nine more in the playoffs to secure the first championship in franchise history. He spent the first 14 years of his career with Tampa Bay, playing in over 1000 games and piled up 874 points.
Lecavalier was a second-team All-Star just once. In 2006-07, he scored the most goals in the league and won the Art Ross but was clipped by Sidney Crosby for the top All-Star position and the Hart Trophy. His number four is retired by the Lightning.
7. Brayden Point
When you’re on the same team as Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, and Andrei Vasilevskiy, it’s pretty easy to be overshadowed. That has happened to Brayden Point despite his torrid offensive numbers over the past five years. He scored 51 goals in 2022-23 and 46 last year but did not receive MVP votes in either season.
His introduction to the hockey world was in the 2020 playoffs when he led the tournament with 14 goals. He missed two games due to injury in the Conference Finals and they were the only two games the Islanders won. He made a great case for the Conn Smythe Trophy but eventually lost to Hedman. Point is signed in Tampa through 2030.
8. Brad Richards
The third member of the 2004 team on this list is Brad Richards. The Conn Smythe winner from that run, Richards spent seven seasons in Tampa Bay and sits in the top ten in goals, assists, and points. He racked up a league-high 26 points during the 2004 Cup run including seven game-winning goals and seven powerplay goals.
He won the Lady Byng trophy in 2004 and was on the All-Rookie team in 2001. Richards bounced around after he left the Lightning and ended up with the Chicago Blackhawks. He won his second Cup with them in 2015, beating the Lightning to do so.
9. Alex Killorn
Alex Killorn is not the superstar that his Lighting teammates are, but he was a key part of all four conference titles and both championships. He sits in the top ten for games played, goals, assists, and points in franchise history and scored eight goals on the way to the 2021 championship.
Killorn never won a major award and will likely not have his number retired by the Lightning. He still was an important part of those teams before he left for the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 offseason.
10. Ben Bishop
The goalie before Vasilevskiy, Ben Bishop can often get overshadowed in Lightning history. He was the goalie when they went to the Cup Final in 2015 before losing his job to the young Vasilevskiy. Bishop posted a .921 save percentage in 25 games during that Cup run and would have had a great chance at the Conn Smythe had the Lightning won.
The following season, he put up his best season with the Lightning. He was a second-team All-Star, placed second in Vezina voting, and put up a league-low 2.06 goals against average. While he will not go down as the greatest goalie in team history, he made quite an impact during his time in Tampa Bay.
