TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning will have seven selections at their disposal heading into the 2022 NHL Draft on Thursday.
The Bolts have the 31st overall pick and the last time the team had a first-round selection was in the 2019 Draft when they chose Nolan Foote with the 27th overall pick. Nolan is Cal Foote's younger sibling, a current Lightning defenseman and former first-round pick, 14th overall, selected in the 2017 Draft.
With Tampa Bay having a "win-now" mindset in the organization, fans should expect the team to draft players who can either help the team get their hands on another Stanley Cup trophy next season or be used as a pawn to trade and get another player who can make an instant impact on the ice.
And considering the team still has a good chunk of the players that have brought success to Tampa Bay, including the resigning of left winger Nick Paul, the Bolts are in a position where they don't have to rely on a draft pick to make the team a dangerous force again.
However, at least one or a few of the picks the team selected in the draft will most likely be part of the roster next season, so what position will the Lightning want to strengthen in?
After the team traded veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators on Sunday and received defenseman Philippe Myers and forward prospect Grant Mismash in the deal, the Bolts now have a significant amount of salary cap space to potentially sign Ondrej Palat.
Palat has been a crucial player and instrumental to the team's hunt for an almost "three-peat."
Tampa Bay may sign other free agents with their available salary cap space, but assuming Tampa Bay decides against bringing back defenseman Jan Rutta, that can be a position the team may want to explore for either depth or an immediate starter to replace Rutta or McDonagh.
Brayden Point and other key players suffered injuries during the postseason. Some played through it and others had to sit on the sidelines, but Point's lack of presence was missed out on the ice.
The Lightning may look into drafting players who are willing to develop their game, spend limited time on the ice and stay ready to play whenever their name is called to fill in and make an impact for a player who cannot play due to injury.
A first-round pick may not want to follow that route, but the Bolts have had success in turning draft picks from later rounds into star players for the team.
Anthony Cirelli and Point were both third-round picks, Ross Colton was chosen in the fourth round and Ondrej Palat was selected in the seventh round.
All of these players have transformed into fan favorites and helped the team become one of the best in the NHL.
Tampa Bay has one pick in the fourth and fifth rounds and two in the sixth and seventh each. As fans watch the draft, it's safe to say they should not rule out a late-round pick from becoming a Lightning star player.
Below is the full list of the Bolts' 2022 NHL Draft selections.
- Round 1 – 31 overall
- Round 4 – 103 overall (from Chicago)
- Round 5 – 160 overall
- Round 6 – 169 overall (from Detroit)
- Round 6 – 192 overall
- Round 7 – 223 overall (from NY Rangers)
- Round 7 – 224 overall
Round 1 will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 7 and rounds 2-7 will start at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 8.
Day 1 of the draft will be available on ESPN and ESPN+ and Day 2 will be aired on the NHL Network and ESPN+.
The 2022 NHL Draft will take place at Bell Centre in Montreal.
