#AskKrenner: Here we go

Can we expect another 125 plus point campaign from a fully healthy Kuch?From: Patty Maroon (@MaroonPatty69)
Well, you're setting the bar pretty high with 125-plus points.
Nikita Kucherov became the only player this century to record more than 125 points in a single season when he posted 128 (41G, 87A) during the 2018-19 season. Joe Thornton is the only other player since 2000 to hit the 125-point mark when he potted 29 goals and added 96 assists during the 2005-06 season.

With that being said, the 29-year-old Kucherov is right in the middle of his prime and has averaged 1.43 points per game over the past three seasons with 282 points (99G, 183A) in 197 games. If he can keep that pace going throughout the 2022-23 season, he would finish the year with 117 points.
One major component to all of this will be Tampa Bay's power play. Over the last five seasons, no team has scored more power-play goals (291) or had a better power-play percentage (24.5%) than the Lightning. The trio at the top of the umbrella in Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos may be the most lethal in the NHL. Not only do you have three of the most talented players in the league, but the chemistry between them just makes defending the top unit that much harder.
If you go back and look at the last five seasons combined, Hedman, Kucherov and Stamkos all rank in the top-10 for most power-play points in the NHL. Stamkos ranks fifth with 143 (70G, 73A), Kucherov sits two below at seventh with 139 (36G, 103A) and Hedman, who is the only defenseman in the top-10, ranks 10th with 135 (15G, 120A).
But here's the kicker. Every player in the top-10 for power-play points over the last five seasons has skated in at least 320 games during that span, except Kucherov. The Russian winger has only played in 277 games during those five seasons, so he's averaging 0.502 power-play points per game, which is the highest of anyone in the top-10. Connor McDavid is the closest to Kucherov at 0.492 power-play points per game.
Kucherov may be the best in business at operating the half wall on the power play. His vision, creativity, release, passing, shooting, creativity and everything in between allow him to be so effective. He is also very good at winning puck battles despite not being the biggest player on the ice.
With Hedman, Kucherov and Stamkos all coming into this season healthy, I'd expect more of the same from that Lightning power play this year. You add in a healthy Brayden Point in the bumper position, along with Alex Killorn who further adds to the strong chemistry of that first unit, and the sky is the limit if everyone can stay healthy.
I think Kucherov can absolutely top 100 points this season and shooting for 125 really isn't as crazy as some may think it is. It's going to come down to health and the effectiveness of the power play. I'll say he finishes the year with 43 goals and 78 assists for 121 points. Maybe I'm setting the bar high now.
Can Foote handle playing with Heddy? He is not a conventional defender.From: Jeff Davenport (@coachD\7)
I think Cal Foote can absolutely handle playing with Victor Hedman.
Foote was drafted 14th overall by Tampa Bay in the 2017 NHL Draft. Of all the defensemen drafted in 2017, only nine have played in more NHL games than Foote. Of those nine, only two (Heiskanen, 3rd overall pick & Makar, 4th overall pick) have skated in more than 10 playoff games. The reason I say that is because it tells you this - many of those nine defensemen have more NHL experience because they have had greater opportunity on teams with less talent.
Think of the defensemen the Lightning have had since a 19-year-old Foote started playing professional hockey full-time in Syracuse in 2018-19.
2018-19: Cernak, Coburn, Girardi, Hedman, McDonagh, Rutta, Sergachev, Stralman
2019-20: Bogosian, Cernak, Coburn, Hedman, McDonagh, Rutta, Sergachev, Schenn, Shattenkirk
Those were two strong, veteran-riddled defense units on teams that were pushing hard to win the Stanley Cup.
At the end of the day, Foote is still the youngest player on Tampa Bay's roster and will get first dibs at playing with one of the best defensemen in the world. I can still remember Bolts fans being frustrated with a young Hedman during some of his first few years on the back end. Defensemen take longer to develop than forwards and the league is filled with more talent on the offensive side than ever before.
Going into the 2017 NHL Draft, Foote was the 14th ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting's Draft Rankings and the 20th ranked skater overall by TSN's Bob McKenzie. The talent is there and the results will continue to improve with more ice time and experience for Foote. Playing with Hedman certainly doesn't hurt either.
We've already seen glimpses of improvement from Foote this training camp. He had a great assist to Point in the preseason finale. He stepped up and dropped the gloves with Zac Dalpe in defense of a hit on Stamkos. His game is still growing.
Over the past two regular seasons, Foote and Hedman have seen time together in 91 contests. While on the ice together at 5-on-5, the Lightning have generated 55.08% of the scoring chances and 56.04% of the shots on goal between both teams.
Foote told me he spent a lot of time this offseason working on his strength and speed and already feels more comfortable keeping up with the pace of the NHL. As he continues to get ice time, the game is going to slow down for him with each passing day. I'm really excited to see what he can do with Hedman and I think, down the road, Foote can turn himself into an upgrade over Rutta, who Hedman spent most of last season playing with.
Any chance you think Vladdy plays himself into an extension? Seems like he's such a natural fit here personally and professionally.From: Michael (@mikeydubz95)
Sure, why not?
Vladdy Namestnikov will turn 30 next month after being drafted 27th overall by the Lightning in the 2011 NHL Draft. I spoke with him earlier this month about his decision to sign in Tampa Bay this offseason on a one-year deal.
"The core is still together, so it was a no-brainer to come back when the opportunity came," Namestnikov said. "I'm just glad to be back."
Namestnikov has something that every NHL team wants from its forwards - versatility. He can play up and down the lineup from first line to fourth line. He can play power play or kill penalties. And it sounds like he's really grown on the defensive side of the puck.
"He learned to really appreciate the defensive side of the puck and to really make sure that he does a good job with that side of the puck and understanding that if you're good defensively, that usually means more ice time," said Bolts new assistant coach Jeff Blashill. "Vladdy, for us over those two couple of years in Detroit, killed a lot of penalties for us. At times, he spent time on a checking line or a matchup-type line."
He's only on a one-year deal and he's still young enough to come back on another one- or two-year deal after this season, which Tampa Bay could feel comfortable with. Let's see how he performs this season, but right now, he's such a low-risk, high-reward signing. We saw what he was able to do in the preseason and his one 20-goal season came as a member of the Lightning.
Namestnikov really seems to enjoy being in Tampa and should be a nice add for the Bolts this season. It will be fun to watch how he performs. I don't see any reason why he can't go out and be a 15-25 goal scorer for this team and earn himself another contract, even if it gets signed sometime during the season.
Do you expect an eventual split of Stammer-Point-Kucherov, perhaps when Cirelli returns to the lineup? Ideally you want your best players spread out (presumably among the top 6), and not all on the same line. If so, how do you imagine it'd shake up?From: cam (@tbltroll)
This is bound to happen at some point during the season, for sure. We've seen this trio together in the past and we know that the lines will get shaken up throughout the year, especially as injuries come along.
It all just depends on the flow of the season, who is playing well with who and, of course, injuries.
I'm sure we'll see a lot of different combinations. We saw Namestnikov skate on a line with Stamkos and Kucherov during camp. I could definitely see that being a line at some point this season, especially with the flexibility of Namestnikov that I touched on in the last question.
We know that Point and Kucherov have also shown really strong chemistry in the past. Stamkos and Killorn have spent a lot of time on a line together throughout their careers and know each other well. What step does Ross Colton take this year? Where does Cole Koepke fit? What's Brandon Hagel's role going to be?
There's a lot of questions out there with the forward group and I think a lot of it is just going to be based on how these guys come out and perform once the regular season kicks off.
If the lines do get shuffled before the return of Cirelli, I'll go with a top-six of Namestnikov-Stamkos-Kucherov followed by Hagel-Point-Killorn. This is also slight cheating because we saw these combinations in camp and preseason.
With that, let's get crazy and throw another question into the middle of this answer.
How many goals-assists-points for Brandon Hagel this year? Do you see him getting utilized like in Chicago with Kane by being put on a line with Kucherov?From: abb (@abarreboulet12)
I'm not going to put any numbers out there in terms of predictions for Hagel's productivity, but I love the train of thought here.
We saw Hagel's speed and grittiness work wonders on the forecheck for the Lightning in last year's playoffs and as abb points out here, he was used on a line with Patrick Kane in Chicago before the trade and scored 20-plus goals.
I'd be very interested to see what Hagel could do on a line with Kucherov, whether that's with Stamkos or Point in the middle. I think his speed and tenacity could be a great asset for any line and I'd be intrigued to see how he could mesh on a line with 86. I'm sure we'll see those two together at some point this season.
I remember watching a line of Stamkos, Steve Downie and Martin St. Louis work wonders for Tampa Bay over a decade ago. At the time, Stamkos was the shooter, St. Louis was the playmaker and Downie was the straw that stirred the drink, getting in on the forecheck and wreaking havoc.
Could we see a similar situation this season with Hagel-Point-Kucherov or Hagel-Stamkos-Kucherov? I'll be excited if one of those combinations happens and I think Hagel can offer much more offensively than Downie could back in those days.
The Lightning have options and opportunity. Players like Colton, Hagel, Namestnikov, Koepke and others are facing a chance to play themselves into bigger roles. Let's see who takes the opportunity and runs with it.
Do you think Paul is on his way to being a core player for the team? After last year's playoff run, I can't help but hope.From: randy (@mmirandyy)
Yes, yes and yes, again.
The Lightning were thrilled with everything they got from Nick Paul last season and I think it took some of the coaching staff by surprise.
Jon Cooper openly admitted that he didn't know much about Paul before the trade happened. They had played against him a few times when he was with Ottawa, but Cooper had never taken a deep dive into the player.
Like Namestnikov, one thing that jumps off the page about Paul is his versatility. He can win draws, play on the wing and play both special teams. He's big. He'll fight. He has great hands and a sneaky shot. He showed up in some huge moments for Tampa Bay last season.
He will 100% be a core player for this team and a very important player for the next several years. That seven-year contract he signed this offseason is all you need to know about how this team feels about the player.
Also, keep your eyes peeled for a longer story I'll be writing on Nick Paul very soon. Excited to share some of his story and journey to earning that big contract with the Bolts. He's an awesome human being.
Where do you see Cirelli being on the lineup (when he comes back)?From: eva (@not\tonycirelli)
Why not pick up where they left off in the playoffs? The shutdown line of Hagel-Cirelli-Killorn was so good in the postseason. I wouldn't be shocked to see that trio reunited as the shutdown line for Tampa Bay when 71 returns.
The first line on PP is pretty much a no-brainer, but who do you see settling into the PP2 line in addition to PK lines?From: Dirtnoroads (@dirtnoroads)
My guess for PP2: Sergachev, Colton, Paul, Namestnikov, Perry.
PK1: Paul, Killorn, Sergachev, Cernak
PK2: Bellemare, Hagel, Fleury, Myers