Lightning begin building new legacy without Stamkos

BRANDON, Fla. -- Jon Cooper is ready to move forward but admitted that no one on the Tampa Bay Lightning can replace Steven Stamkos.

Stamkos signed a four-year, $32 million ($8 million average annual value) contract with the Nashville Predators on July 1 after playing his first 16 NHL seasons with the Lightning, who selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. Stamkos, who had been Tampa Bay's captain since 2014, is the franchise's all-time leader in points (1,137), goals (555), power-play goals (214) and games played (1,082), and helped it win the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

"Let’s cut this off right away, nobody’s replacing 'Stammer,'" the Lightning coach said. "He’s created this legacy here."

The Lightning did, however, make a major move this offseason, acquiring forward Jake Guentzel in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on June 30 before signing him to a seven-year, $63 million contract ($9 million AAV) the next day. Guentzel has 491 points (227 goals, 264 assists) in 520 regular-season games with the Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2017.

Although Cooper praised Guentzel's abilities as a player, he also added that he should not be considered a replacement for anyone.

"I think that’s unfair to say," Cooper said. "Jake’s coming here to create his own legacy. I’ve just been on the ice for one practice and it’s eye-opening to see how good he was and his hockey sense and how he knows where to be."

Guentzel started camp on the top line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov.

“You know, he’s playing with a couple of good players, and quite frankly, it’s hard to play with really good players at times," Cooper said. "But you can tell he’s done that and he fits right in. You can tell he’s got some special skills and he’s got a special mind.”

Guentzel wasn't the only new face to take the ice for the Lightning on Thursday. Defenseman J.J. Moser, who was acquired along with top forward prospect Conor Geekie from the Utah Hockey Club for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev on June 29, spent the first day skating on a pair with Victor Hedman, who was named Tampa Bay's new captain on Wednesday.

"It was great being out there with him. He makes everything look so easy," said Moser, who had 26 points (five goals, 21 assists) in 80 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season. "He's an unbelievable player and a great leader. He's taking responsibility, communicating, doing all the things that a real leader does. I was a little bit nervous, but very excited to get going."

The Lightning's other notable new additions included veteran forwards Cam Atkinson and Zemgus Girgensons. It's a group that Cooper said he is hopeful can emulate the playoff success that Tampa Bay enjoyed for much of the past decade with Stamkos.

“Stammer paved a path for himself here that may never be matched. The closest guy right now doing that is Victor Hedman, at a different position," Cooper said. "'Kuch' and [goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy] and Point are right behind him, but Stammer should be celebrated for everything he’s done here. Any other player that comes in here, regardless if it’s Guentzel, Atkinson, Girgensons, you go down the list, you can’t compare them to the legend that Stammer was here.

"We’re the Tampa Bay Lightning 2024-25. This is the group we have. ... I'm super, super excited about it. I know the players are, so we’re just going to look forward and move on.”