Steve Stamkos the Right Piece for Lightning's Puzzle?

Steve Stamkos has brought hype everywhere he's been.

In 2006, he was the first overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection and became the face of the Sarnia Sting. For the last two seasons he's done virtually everything in the league, from falling into the boards during the skills competition to scoring one of the most unreal goals ever.

Did I mention that both those events happened 20 minutes apart?

Stamkos is said by many scouts to be a strong two-way player who possesses the speed and skill to be an elite player in the NHL. Some would even say that if he and highly touted prospect John Tavares were eligible for the same draft, Stamkos would still go first.

The Tampa Bay Lightning hold the first overall pick in this year's draft.

It was only in 2004 when they captured their first Stanley Cup and locked up their core players to long high-paying deals to keep them together. The contracts of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards accumulated to over one-third of the salary cap, leaving no money left to resign all-star goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and top-four defenseman Pavel Kubina.

The question that boggles me is whether or not Stamkos can be the player to turn this ship around?

First, let's examine the Bolts’ roster.

Between the pipes, the Lightning have been without an actual starter since the Bulin Wall took his show to Chicago. Sean Burke, John Grahame, Marc Denis, and Johan Holmqvist have all failed in their attempts to assume the position in goal and that is a big reason why the team has been struggling since the lockout—not to mention that coach John Tortorella wasn’t the best coach a goalie’s ever had.

On defense, there are also numerous gaps. Dan Boyle is the undisputed number one D-man, with Paul Ranger a distant second.

Another reason why the Bolts have been weak from the blue line is the lack of support that the defense can provide for their goaltender. Players like Shane O’Brien, Mike Lundin, and Alexandre Picard are all promising prospects, but they should be developing in the AHL rather than getting shelled by NHL talent every game.

Up front, they aren’t sitting too badly. Lecavalier, St. Louis, and recently acquired Vaclav Prospal lead the team up front, with Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen, and Michel Ouellet providing secondary scoring and great defensive play. If anything, the forwards are the main reason why the Lightning have a chance to stay in every game.

So what would drafting Stamkos do?

It would provide more primary scoring up front, but it would do little to improve the defense and goaltending that have brought the team down. He would have a strong impact on the team, although they wouldn’t improve in the standings all too much.

If the Brad Richards trade taught the Lightning organization anything, it was that you shouldn’t tie up so much money between three forwards.

Three years from now, when Stamkos’ rookie deal is done, there’s no question that he will be a high-priced player. If the Lightning were to sign him to an extension to avoid him becoming a restricted free agent, they would either have to surround him with a weak supporting cast, or say goodbye to future captain Vinny Lecavalier.

The real holes are on the blue line and in the crease. Drafting a player such as Drew Doughty or Zach Bogosian would do wonders for the defensive corps and would make the Lightning a well-rounded team.

These guys don’t need another goal scorer, but they do need someone to help keep the puck out of their net.

All in all, we know that Steve Stamkos has the skill and talent to go first. But if the Lightning don’t improve drastically over the next two to three seasons, they’ll be facing the same situation that they were in with Richards. Instead, paying that type of money on a defenseman will ensure balance throughout the Bolts’ lineup.

The goaltending will come eventually.