The Tampa Bay Lighting still look like Stanley Cup contenders and have more help on the way

They are not necessarily the best team in the NHL this season (they are very close), but they are perhaps the most impressive given how they have done it.

There is not much debate as to who the NHL’s best team has been this season. The Colorado Avalanche are lapping the field, and entering play on Thursday are on pace for 127 points. They have lost just seven out of 51 games in regulation, and are on pace to finish 15 points ahead of the next closest team in the standings. If they could ever win a shootout they would be even better.

Their overall record is unmatched.

Their underlying numbers match up with the record.

They have superstar players, a strong process, and great results. Nothing about it seems to be a fluke or unsustainable.

It is all wildly impressive.

Right behind them in the standings is another wildly impressive team that has been one of their few equals in the NHL over the past decade.

The Tampa Bay Lightning.

In a lot of ways they are pretty comparable to the Avalanche in terms of roster construction, their recent cycle for contention and their current place in the NHL standings. Both teams have expertly managed the salary cap over the years. Both teams have aggressive front offices that are not afraid to swing big trades. Both teams are able to keep piecing together deep rosters despite big contracts at the top.

They have been two of the dominant teams in the NHL over the better part of the past decade, won three consecutive Stanley Cups between 2019-20 and 2021-22 (Tampa Bay with two, Colorado with one) and have similar roster builds with elite talents at the top of their lineups (even if they are all starting to get into their 30s).

They are also still two of the best teams in the NHL despite a lack of recent playoff success since their championship runs.

But for as impressive as the Avalanche have been in maintaining their status as an elite, top-tier team this season, the Lightning have, in some ways, been even more impressive given the injury situation they have dealt with.

Especially on defense.

It would have been easy for their season to slip away from them (or at least had them dip closer to the playoff bubble) given the absences they have had. But the exact opposite has happened. They have simply kept winning, and are still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and a legitimate Stanley Cup contender

Now some reinforcements are starting to get close to returning.

What is that going to mean for them the rest of the way and into the playoffs?

Let’s talk about it.